Xscape Milton Keynes joins initiative to support retail workers facing abuse

Xscape Milton Keynes has announced a partnership with the Retail Trust to help protect retail workers from rising levels of abuse and violence, with free support to help staff manage difficult interactions.

Through the Retail Trust’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign, Landsec provided free resilience and de-escalation training at four of its major shopping destinations, giving retail workers the skills and confidence to manage challenging interactions and recover quickly after difficult moments on the shop floor.

This month, the support will be rolled out to a further 13 Landsec destinations across the country, including Xscape Milton Keynes, ensuring retail staff, cleaners, security, and guest services teams can access the support they need.

Staff will be given access to new online tools to help them stay safe, respond to difficult situations, and recover afterwards. This includes new advice on how to respond to issues like anti-social behaviour and being filmed without consent, or targeted after a shift.

The partnership is being expanded as the British Retail Consortium’s 2026 Crime Report reveals that retail workers face more than 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse every day, with 43,000 physically violent incidents per year. The newly introduced Crime and Policing Act has now made the assault of a retail worker a standalone criminal offence in England and Wales - further underlining the significance of the issue.

A security guard who took part in the training, said: “When you’re dealing with anti-social behaviour or difficult customers, it can stay with you even after your shift has finished and you can feel anxious about coming back into work the next day.

“The training was really useful because it showed that people across different roles are dealing with many of the same challenges, and that there is support available from the Retail Trust.”

Dan Murphy, Centre Director at Xscape Milton Keynes, said: “Every day, our colleagues play an essential role in bringing Xscape to life. It’s important that they feel supported, valued, and confident that their wellbeing and safety are a priority.

“Working with the Retail Trust and the Let’s Respect Retail campaign gives our teams access to meaningful, practical support while also helping us build a culture where looking out for one another is part of everyday life. By investing in the people who make our centre what it is, we can create a positive environment for our teams, our brand partners, and our guests alike.”