It is alleged that, between 18 December 2023 and 3 January 2024, a man targeted shops in Ashford town centre, along with a supermarket on the outskirts of the town.
Items including meat, alcohol and cleaning products, valued at around £546, were reported to have been stolen.
An investigation by officers from Ashford’s Victim Based Crime Team led to the arrest of a 38-year-old man, of no fixed address, on Wednesday 3 January.
He was charged later that day with five counts of theft and was due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on 4 January.