The teenage boy has been charged with 53 counts of shoplifting from Boots, as well as four allegations of shoplifting at Holland and Barrett.
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A 17-year-old accused of stealing goods worth £130,000 has been banned from every Boots store across England and Wales.
The boy is alleged to have brazenly swiped cosmetic products from the shelves in dozens of raids on London branches over the last two years.
It is said the teen was caught on CCTV repeatedly loading a bag with items before walking out without paying.
The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, has been charged with 53 counts of shoplifting from Boots, as well as four allegations of shoplifting at Holland and Barrett.
He stood before magistrates at Highbury Corner Youth Court on Monday as the case was adjourned for a month because of the sheer volume of CCTV evidence that lawyers need to assess.
“These are serious charges, there is a lot of revenue lost with high-value cosmetic products selected,” said prosecutor Jyothi Somavarapu.
“There are a huge number of individuals entering these stores, taking items and covering their heads so that it is tricky for the investigating officers.”
Magistrates agreed to adjourn the case until March 9, and freed the teenager on bail with a condition that he does not go to any Boots or Holland and Barrett store in England and Wales, unless he is accompanied by a family member.
The boy, who towered over his mother as he stood in the well of the court, was not asked to enter pleas to any of the 57 charges on Monday.
Court papers show he is accused of 27 incidents of shoplifting in Boots in Westminster, eight in Kensington and Chelsea, five in Lambeth, four in Camden, and two each in Merton and Southwark, as well as targeting stores once in Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Hounslow, Harrow, and Tower Hamlets.
He is accused of stealing goods valued at £129,974.50 from Boots between April 2024 and October 2025, as well as nearly £2,500 worth of products from Holland and Barrett.
The charges show that in the most lucrative raid, he is accused of stealing £9,316.05 worth of goods from a Boots in Kensington and Chelsea on October 2, 2024.
The investigating officer from the Metropolitan Police told the court CCTV of some of the shoplifting incidents is part of the evidence, while he has provided a statement to allege that the teenager was involved in some of the crimes not caught on camera.
The court was told another teenager is also suspected of involvement in the thefts, but he has not yet been charged.
