As we enter November the shopping period for the festive season starts to get busier, however with that comes more criminal activity for retailers. In this blog we examine what the current situation is looking like for retail, how to mitigate the Christmas time crime rate increase for shops and what measures JKE recommends implementing from a security system perspective. In short it’s all about retail security!
A look at the latest retail crime statistics for 2024
The latest crime survey from BRC shows more security is required in the retail industry. Violence, abuse, and theft have reached alarming levels, significantly impacting businesses and their employees. Nearly £2billion was lost to customer theft which is almost double last year and the first time it has gone over £1billion in the UK. Crime prevention measures are costing £1.2billion, which is up from last year’s security costs of £720 million. Overall the cost of retail crime, including crime prevention measures for retail security, was £3.3billion, almost double that of the previous year.
This blog will explore the consequences for retailers and the urgent need for effective retail security solutions.
Violence and Abuse
The survey reveals a staggering increase in violent and abusive incidents within retail settings with just over 1,300 violent or abusive incidents a day. With nearly half a million incidents reported annually, retailers are facing a growing threat to the safety and wellbeing of their staff. This surge in violence has far-reaching consequences, from increased costs to a decline in employee morale.
The Rising Cost of Crime
Retail crime, including theft and associated prevention measures, has reached an all-time high. The overall cost to businesses has doubled in the past year, a staggering £3.6billion being lost every year which is naturally placing a significant strain on businesses finances.
The Impact on Retailers
The survey highlights the pervasive nature of retail crime, affecting businesses of all sizes and types. Whether operating online or offline, retailers are grappling with the challenges posed by theft, vandalism, and other criminal activities. The consequences include:
-
Financial losses: Theft, property damage, and increased security costs directly impact a retailer’s bottom line.
-
Damage to reputation: Negative publicity associated with crime can harm a business’s image and customer trust; you can loose shoppers if you are known to have regular criminal activity.
-
Decreased productivity: The fear of crime can lead to reduced employee morale and productivity; staff are leaving the sector in droves because they feel threatened within their workplace.
Security systems to help with retail crime
Every shopping centre, retail outlet, supermarket and small independent shop faces the same issues; wanting to welcome the customer without making them feel like security is in their face everywhere within the shopping space.
Surveillance Cameras
Whether you refer to them as CCTV or VSS the need for effective, high res cameras is becoming higher than ever. They do act as a deterrent to criminals but don’t stop them from shoplifting or attacking staff sadly. However if you have spots within your store or retail area that are ‘blind’ then we’d suggest addressing this before the festive shopping period. Criminal gangs especially will ‘case the joint’ and know what they can hide whilst in blind spots; they could look like innocent shoppers with full baskets until they enter an area without camera coverage.
Of course AI technology is also becoming a real asset to retailers as it provides facial recognition and instant alerts. This means you need security guards on the ground to help with addressing people who are known criminals or who have already targetted you for shoplifting. Police are advocating for the use of this technology more and more; they feed their intel into the systems that are being used within the local area to help.
It’s essential you have good feeds and cloud recording on your cameras so that you can supply footage to the police when you are targetted with criminal activity.
Panic Alarms
With the rise in violence towards staff it’s important to raise an alarm; JKE have fitted a number of panic alarms across different areas of stores from the obvious checkout and kiosk areas to fitting rooms and doorways of shops. These alarms are loud and can help call staff to the area alarming to support their colleagues in case of attack.
Festive retail security issues
As the festive season approaches, retailers face a range of security challenges as they prepare for the annual surge in shopping activity. Increased foot traffic in store and new seasonal hires who may not be experienced in the retail environment can provide opportunities for shoplifters like no other time of the year. The pressure of higher sales volumes often leads retailers to focus on maximising inventory on the shop floor and ensuring customer satisfaction whilst shopping is a mix made in heaven for gangs targeting specific products. These criminals will now if an outlet or shop is without robust security measures. JKE understands these issues and focus on the physical in-store security risks retailers face during this time to spec the best systems to prevent targeted criminal activity.
In-store theft, including both shoplifting and employee theft, tends to spike in the weeks leading up to Christmas. With more customers crowding stores and new, temporary employees on the payroll, it becomes harder to monitor activity closely. Organised retail crime also sees a significant rise during this period, as professional theft rings target stores for goods that can be resold easily. Retailers face the challenge of securing high-value items without deterring customers or slowing down the shopping experience. Solutions like additional surveillance, increased staffing of loss prevention personnel, and restricted access to storerooms and inventory areas become essential but can be considered as too costly to implement.
The lead-up to Christmas is a critical time for retailers to bolster both physical security measures. The stakes are high, as the holiday season accounts for a significant portion of annual sales. Balancing these additional security needs with customer experience is a complex but essential aspect of the festive time preparation for retailers.
Our security system recommendations are: AI surveillance cameras which trigger an immediate recognition of criminals which is fed instantly to in-store security guards so that people can be monitored within the store or escorted out before they get embedded in a busy shop environment.
Having access controlled areas without stock rooms can be useful for high value goods so that only long serving or permanent staff can gain access with their staff credentials (like staff ID cards) minimises risks of employee theft.
Having panic alarms that either blast a sound in store or alert security personnel is a great way to keep your employees safe from violent theft attacks. Many retailers feel this is old tech but they do work as a deterrent and there are more sophisticated systems available for when you have security staff onsite.
Don’t leave your customers exposed to awful situations in store or leave your staff to face criminals without feeling they have protection. Talk to JKE to gain the best options available whether you are a national chain (we’ve worked with Lush), a shopping centre management company, or a small independent shop on the high street. We have security systems available to help you reduce festive theft.