Policy paper

Sale of knives: voluntary agreement by retailers

Updated 23 March 2023

The voluntary agreement with major retailers on the responsible sale of knives that has been in place since 2016 has been revised following the passing of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, which received Royal Assent in May 2019. The Act introduces new legislation in relation to remote sales of certain bladed articles and extends the Primary Authority scheme to the sale of bladed articles.

During the passage of the legislation through Parliament concerns were expressed about the display of knives and this revised agreement addresses those concerns. The retailers who are signatories to the voluntary agreement are: Aldi, Amazon UK, Argos, Asda, B&Q, Boots, Co-Op, Dunelm, Ebay, Homesense, Iceland Foods Ltd, John Lewis, Lidl GB, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, TK Maxx, Waitrose, Wilko.

Sale of knives

Retailers will apply their existing policies for age-restricted sales, such as ‘Think 21’ or ‘Think 25’ to ensure age verification checks take place, so that knives will only be sold (or supplied) where the retailer is satisfied that the customer is 18 or over. This will include proof of age checks for in-store sales, on collection or at the point of delivery.

Action will be taken in-store and online to remind customers and staff that knives are, by law, age-restricted products. This means that these articles will only be sold (or supplied) once age verification to the appropriate standards - ‘Think 21’ or ‘Think 25’ - has taken place. Retailers will continue to explore the opportunities for recognition of secure, reliable, age verification standards online and offline for knife sales.

All staff who sell, or who supervise or approve the sale of knives will be provided with training, with that training being refreshed at least once every year. This includes all staff involved in sales transactions up to, and including, delivery if this function is provided in-house. The principles in this agreement may be applied as relevant to each retailer’s business model in discussion with their Primary Authority.

Online sales

Ebay is committed to a safe online marketplace and currently prohibits the sale of all knives on ebay.co.uk, with the exception of cutlery.

Amazon requires that all third-party sellers on its marketplace comply with the law on the sale of knives, including clearly listing products as for over 18s and requiring age verification on delivery. Those who do not are subject to action including potential suspension.

Displays of knives[footnote 1]

Retailers will ensure knives are displayed and packaged securely as appropriate to minimise risk. This will include retailers taking practical and proportionate steps to restrict accessibility and avoid immediate use, to reduce the possibility of injury, and to prevent theft.

Where local police identify an issue or have evidence that stolen knives present a risk in the local area where the store is located, the local police, can request additional measures such as secure packaging and display solutions which are proportionate to the level of risk. This may include considering a differing approach with retailers that sell a wide range of DIY products.

Such suggestions should take into consideration any relevant agreements between the retailer and its Primary Authority and build upon them as necessary and should be directed to the Head Office of the business for consideration. The action and timescales for implementation of any changes will be agreed with the retailers’ Head Office.

Possible display solutions may include:

  1. Consider removing knives from display or keep them away from public access in a safe and secure position.
  2. Display knives in a way that ensures that they cannot easily be stolen - for instance, by using approaches that require intervention from a member of staff in order to release the knife from secure display, or positioning in secure locations within the store, and enhanced stock checks.
  3. Introduce improved arrangements for the safe display of kitchen knife blocks containing multiple knives in a box – this may require working with trade associations or manufacturers to improve packaging of such items or the introduction of dummy displays in-store.

Wider action

Alongside the voluntary agreement, the Government will continue to work with the police, trading standards, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and relevant age restricted products code of practice to carry out test purchases at different retailers, feeding back results to retailers’ Head Offices.

Further information

For general enquiries, please email the Home Office Serious Violence Unit at KnifeCrimePolicyTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk

  1. The voluntary agreement in this area is aimed at knives that are capable of inflicting harm if used as a weapon. The vast majority of cutlery knives (other than steak knives and similar) would not fall in this category and therefore are excluded from the display element of this agreement.