There has been a broadly positive response from the retail and hospitality communities to the new Prime Minister’s support for high street businesses that consumers want to see there.
The Association of Convenience Stores has launched a new campaign aimed at getting tougher sanctions for rogue traders.
It was once thought that the phrase “never look a gift horse in the mouth” originated from the myth of the Trojan Horse which was left as a surrender peace offering or gift to the citizens of Troy by the retreating and seemingly defeated Greek army around the 8th century BC.
England’s opening World Cup match against Croatia triggered a marked uptick in shoplifting and violent incidents across UK stores, with theft levels increasing by more than six per cent on the daily average and violence up +20 per cent on match-day, according to new figures from SAI, a leading active intelligence solution for stores.
Frontline retail workers faced a 12 per cent increase in violent behaviour last year according to new UK retailer data from global retail crime intelligence company, Auror.
Retail crime is rising across Scotland, with convenience stores facing increasing theft, abuse and violence, costing the sector an estimated £54.5m, according to the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) annual crime report.
Violence and abuse against retail workers fell by a fifth from 2,000 incidents per day in 2023/4 to 1,600 last year. This is one of the key findings of the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC’s) new Crime Report.
The retail sector – the shop window of gateway employment opportunities for thousands of people every year - is facing a complex existential challenge in terms of job creation, according to industry experts.
Our screen love affair with our mobile phones looks set to continue at pace this winter. In autumn, Apple, which was responding to the successful launch of new Samsung handheld products throughout 2025, successfully dropped its much-awaited iPhone 17 with its larger display and longer battery life, pushing up pre-launch sales by 2.6 per cent during the run-up to Christmas.
Almost 1000 people have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown on organised crime linked to high street businesses in what the National Crime Agency (NCA) has called the largest operation of its kind.
The Retail Trust has chosen the run up to the peak festive period to launch a new campaign to urge shoppers to respect store staff amid rising levels of abuse in shops.
During October The Retail Trust ran three online sessions to help more store workers deal with the rise in anti-social and threatening behaviour at Christmas time.
The executive chair of Iceland has called on the government to take the threat of shoplifting more seriously, describing it as a daily “low level war”.
Retailers in the Republic of Ireland are calling for the "urgent delivery" of a new Retail Crime Strategy to tackle shoplifting and the abuse of workers.
The British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) has cautioned that criminals are undermining legitimate retail businesses amid the decline of trading standards, following a Which? investigation.
Iceland Foods has launched a scheme that will credit shoppers with £1 on their loyalty cards if they alert staff to shoplifters, as the frozen-food chain struggles with annual losses of £20 million from in-store theft.
This article, brought to you by Auror, discusses the challenges facing UK retailers, and the trends that are redefining the future of retail crime prevention.
Value Retailer Protects People and Product with Multi-Faceted Investment in Technology and Private Prosecutions
Research commissioned by Cifas reveals that almost one fifth of UK consumers have either falsely claimed a failed delivery to obtain a refund after using the product or know someone who has.
The Commercial Reality of Drug Addiction on the UK High Street
As many as a quarter of a million UK retail jobs have been lost over the past five years, according to a new report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
Nearly a quarter of the UK population (24 per cent) have witnessed shoplifting taking place while at a shop in the last 12 months. That is equivalent to over 16 million people witnessing these events.
A consortium of British retailers has warned that UK's high streets are set to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next three years. The newly launched Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA) – an industry group including Marks and Spencer (M&S), Sainsbury's, and Tesco – says that at least 300,000 roles are at risk by 2028. Retailers in the new Alliance, which also include Asda, Kingfisher, Morrisons, and Primark, employ nearly one million people across the UK.
Illegal sweets containing banned additives linked to behavioural problems and cancer are “flooding UK high streets,” local authorities have warned. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) cautioned that demand for US confectionary was being encouraged by influencers on social media.
Retail crime is spiralling out of control and at its highest level on record, according to the British Retail consortium’s (BRC) latest findings. The BRC’s Annual Crime Survey published this month revealed incidents of violence and abuse against retail sector employees in 2023-2024 climbing to over 2,000 per day - up from 1,300 the year before and more than three times the figure posted in 2020.
Two-thirds of British retailers plan to raise prices in response to increased National Insurance costs coming into effect this April.
Why the Festive Season is Providing New Meaning to Giving and Receiving
Attacks on shop workers are worsening amidst the rise in retail crime, with two in five shouted at, spat on, threatened or hit every week, leaving half feeling unsafe at work, but one in four don’t report abuse, according to charity Retail Trust.
Shoplifting is an under-reported crime that has reached “unacceptable” levels, with devastating impacts on the retail sector and wider economy, a new Lords inquiry has said. During the inquiry, the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee heard that there are almost 17 million incidents of shop theft in the UK annually, with few cases leading to an arrest and costing the retail sector almost £2 billion last year.
Retailers are bringing in extra security and training for workers over fears of a spike in retail theft in the run-up to Christmas.
The Co-op’s managing director of food Matt Hood has said the monetary cost of shoplifting pales compared to its impact on staff members.
From “Hashtag Heists” to modern day Robin Hoods—The Cyclical Psychology of Store Thieves
Body of Evidence Supports the Rise of Body Worn Cameras in Front-Line Retail
Tesco has announced the introduction of "digital passports" across its F&F fashion range, in anticipation of a forthcoming European Union sustainability initiative. The move from the UK’s biggest supermarket aims to provide shoppers with more detailed information about each garment, including the source of materials used.
Shoplifting in England and Wales has risen to the highest levels in over 20 years, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The organisation said there were 443,995 shoplifting offences recorded by the police in the year ended March 2024, a 30 per cent increase compared to the previous year and the highest numbers since records began in 2002.
The retail industry has applauded plans outlined in the King's Speech to legislate and make a new specific offence for attacks on shopworkers. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that it particularly welcomes Labour's explicit bills to reform the Apprenticeship Levy and planning laws, tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour; and accelerate the country’s clean energy transition.
The French finance ministry has ordered retailers in the country to notify shoppers of ‘shrinkflation’ to products.
Less than half of small retailers in the UK are confident they will grow over the next twelve months, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
Violence and abuse against retail workers soared last year, with the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) crime survey revealing that the number of incidents rose from 870 to 1,300 per day over the last 12 months.
Booths has become Britain's first supermarket chain to return to fully-staffed checkouts after axing most of its self-service tills.
During this interview with Zebra's director of retail operations, Mike Finch, we look at how retailers are looking to improve controls over the changing stock landscape.
UK chief executive of Tesco Jason Tarry is supporting a petition calling on the government to make violence or abuse against retail workers a standalone criminal offence.
Far-Reaching Global Academic Study into Keeping the Most At-Risk Stores Trading
French supermarket Carrefour has put signs next to certain products to warn customers of ‘shrinkflation’, a form of reverse price rise where the products have reduced in size while what customers pay remains the same.
More UK stores are taking action to tackle persistent and prolific offenders.
Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to offer all employees across the business the right to request a flexible working pattern from their first day in the job.
Visa is stepping up payment protections for small businesses in the UK in a bid to tackle higher levels of 'friendly fraud'.
The shopworkers trade union USDAW has released a blueprint to improve the quality of UK retail jobs and to “save” high street stores, including calls for a minimum wage of at least £12 per hour.
Independent retailers are renewing calls for government grants to help them improve their security systems as new figures show that incidents of shop theft rose by a quarter in the last year.
From Technology to Risk Management—How Retail Is Designing Out ‘Next-Gen’ Risk
Retailers need to ‘shift the dial’ to genuinely progress diversity and inclusion in their businesses, according to a new report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Trust in the grocery industry has fallen to the lowest levels since November 2014, according to consumer watchdog Which?
Grocery prices have fallen for the second month in a row, but inflation is still at the third-highest rate since records began in 2008.
Over 1,000 retail workers from 200 big retail brands including H&M, Starbucks and Next attended the second Together Fest organised by charity The Retail Trust. Together Fest aims to bring to life the Retail Trust’s ethos of improving the hope, health and happiness of the UK’s three million retail workers .
Asda has announced the launch of what it describes as the UK’s largest self-driving grocery delivery trial. As part of a one-year trial, the British supermarket has partnered with an automated vehicle (AV) start-up to deliver groceries across a catchment area of 72,000 households and 170,000 residents in London.
Retail workers are experiencing “appalling levels” of violence and abuse, according to the latest research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Figures from the organisation’s most up to date crime survey, published in March, reveal that abuse towards retail employees has nearly doubled since before the pandemic.
The retail sector is experiencing its lowest levels of recruitment and retention for more than a decade, according to figures from the Office for National statistics (ONS).
The government has launched the long-awaited consultation for the regulation of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) firms. The move, which comes two years after the government first agreed to regulate BNPL products, follows research from Forbes which shows that 70 per cent of UK adults are using the payment option as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis.
Co-op Food has welcomed the government’s decision to ban single-use plastics in England later this year. Co-op Food, which says it was the first retailer to roll out 100 per cent recyclable own-brand food and drink packaging, supports the move, which will see single-use banned for retailers, takeaways, food vendors, and across the hospitality industry.
The stakes in the recruitment and retention crisis impacting warehouse staff looks set to be raised as Aldi is increasing pay rates for around 7,000 warehouse workers across the UK from 1st February.
From Falling Footfall to Carbon Footprint—How Energy Prices and Climate Change Are Impacting the High Street
The cost-of-living crisis is also a cost to the safety of store colleagues, according to new research from the Retail Trust.
Budget supermarket Aldi is to support local charities, foodbanks, and community groups this Christmas through its Emergency Winter Foodbank Fund.
The managing director of Iceland has appealed to shoppers on breakfast television not to be violent and aggressive in his stores.
Britain is in the grip of the worst supply chain crisis in living memory with more than 25 per cent of UK retailers only four weeks away from going bust, according to a new survey.
Nearly a third (31 per cent) of retail workers actively want to leave their job, and a further fifth (21 per cent) no longer want to work in the sector, according to new research.
If the business alternative to ‘getting mad’ is ‘getting even’ in the face of industrial levels of organised theft and fraud, retailers are very much attempting to level the playing field when it comes to looking at alternative forms of restorative justice in a world of ever-challenged police resourcing.
UK retail businesses lost £414 million last year because of cross-border tax complexities, according to research.
Evidence is growing of shoplifting for ‘need over greed’ as first-time store thieves are “stealing to eat” as a result of to the increasing cost of living crisis, according to leading supermarkets.
Plans to introduce a tax upon online retail businesses as part of a levelling up between clicks and mortar and bricks and mortar continues to divide the retail community.
DIY giant Homebase is set to introduce forensic marking in a number of its UK stores following a successful trial with Smartwater, a unique traceable liquid and forensic asset marking solution applied to high value items to deter theft and support the police in recovering stolen property and securing a successful conviction.
Supermarket giant Asda is running a trial where its customers can return items purchased from more than 100 of the UK’s most popular retailers at the same time as receiving their regular grocery delivery.
UK consumers have the greatest expectations about the growth of retail technology to deliver frictionless customer journeys, according to new research.
Why Independent Businesses Are the Backbone of the Economy and the Wider Retail Family
Retail experts studying chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spring budget have concluded that announced policies to ease the financial pressures on hard-pressed families will fall well short of the mark and could even encourage ‘household recessionary behaviours.’
Supply chain disruption has left out-of-stock products worse than during the period of panic buying at the beginning of the pandemic, according to UK shoppers.
The current cost-of-living crisis triggered by the post-pandemic rise in global energy prices and the economic impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine could witness a new wave of industrial level theft by organised retail crime gangs as well as pushing everyday shoppers towards dishonesty.
One constant throughout the last two years – and one that has become increasingly important in an omni-channel world – is the forensic need for stock file accuracy and the associated on-shelf availability.
Over 10,000 chain store branches disappeared from Great Britain’s retail locations in 2021, according to a new report. In total, 7,160 shops opened, compared to 17,219 closures, a net decline of 10,059, according to PwC research compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC).
Almost 135,000 traditional retail jobs were lost during the pandemic, according to analysis from trade union GMB.
Aldi has launched its first checkout-free store in Greenwich, London.
Half of millennials and Generation Z consumers care more about digital technology improvements in High Street and local retail shops than prices, according to new research from Vodafone and Allwyn.
High Street business leaders have given a largely positive reaction to the government’s end to Plan B restrictions in the UK.
It’s not just Scrooge in fear of disappearing spirits at Christmas, as many retailers are trying to avoid the annual seasonal sprinkling of festive theft in the form of alcohol trolley push-outs.
The Chancellor’s autumn budget has provided plenty of cheer for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with cuts to duty on draft ale, cider and sparkling wines served in pubs and restaurants and a 50 per cent cut in business rates for one year.
Christmas ‘is a coming’ and the retail industry is setting out its seasonal stall with a major emphasis on encouraging the public to shop early in light of the supply chain challenges faced by the sector.
In a bid to reduce food waste, frozen food giant Iceland is set to give away food products on the last day of their shelf life.
The UK’s competition watchdog has warned businesses that they have until the beginning of next year to make sure their environmental claims comply with the law.
Retail confidence has hit a new low as a result of recent supply chain disruptions and challenges over staff levels and stock shortages.
A new law that has come into effect this month means that verbal or physical attacks against anyone working in a retail store in Scotland will be regarded as a specific offence.
More than three quarters (82 per cent) of retailers have seen an increase in fraud attempts since the pandemic began, according to new research.
The BRC has urged the Government to ensure staff in retail stores and suppliers should be allowed to work even if they receive an NHS COVID app ‘ping’ alert to self-isolate.
The slow re-opening of the hospitality sector has started to have a negative impact on retail food sales, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
More than two-thirds (77 per cent) of global shoppers have reduced their digital footprint for fear they are losing control over their privacy, according to research.
The legacy of the coronavirus may continue beyond the wholesale re-opening of society, with some retailers maintaining some of the in-store restrictions they implemented during the pandemic in an effort to reduce crime.
I’d like to start by recommending an excellent book to you by General Stanley McChrystal (US Army, retired), Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World. As the title suggests, this is focused on collaboration in a military setting, and the retired four-star general has concluded that in a world of ever-increasing complexity, networks offer the best chance for organisational success.
Amazon has opened its second UK Amazon Fresh store at Wembley Park, less than a month after it launched its first in Ealing West London.
Shoppers are taking a slowly-slowly approach to returning to the High Street and will only feel safe once everyone is vaccinated, according to new research.
Supermarket staff are reportedly facing increased levels of violence as customers vent their anger over the tightened enforcement over face coverings.
High Street retailers and luxury brands may abandon and even burn items returned by EU customers that are now stuck in European warehouses rather than bringing them back to the UK to avoid the cost and hassle of Brexit red tape.
The retail sector is bracing itself for around 200,000 further job losses as a result of the ongoing pandemic restrictions, according the influential Centre for Retail Research (CRR).
Global fashion retailers are facing scrutiny over due diligence in their supply chains as claims of forced labour involving persecuted minorities picking cotton in Xinjiang, a Chinese region plagued by allegations of human rights abuses, continue to circulate.
Coronavirus has not only impacted our health choices, but also our shopping behaviour, according to new research.
The convenience sector has been told to consider the impact of trading environment, workforce, inflation and regulation ahead of the end of the transition period on 31 December.
E-commerce is benefitting from increasing frustration amongst shoppers about the in-store experience, according to new research.
Distribution and fulfilment centres are seeing significant levels of investment, often at the expense of their high street colleagues, a trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19. However, one area that seems to almost be overlooked by some retailers is returns, despite some experiencing volumes equal to 50 per cent of total sales.
Whatever the future of bricks and mortar, it is evident the only place we can now enjoy full peak trade promotion is online. But can we trust every basket checkout? Absolutely not! It is precisely at these uncertain times that fraudsters will be looking to maximise their gains. We need focus on how we can prevent our losses online more than ever, and collaborative online strategy is one place herd immunity will work!
Within distribution centres, the lack of effective exit procedures and technology suitable to detect the wide range of products being stocked means that it can be easy to steal. High value items are easy to conceal on the body and the loss prevention team have a hard time monitoring thousands of individuals. With unemployment rising and COVID-19 challenges, this winter is set to be challenging for LP teams around the world.
The COVID pandemic has dramatically changed the way the customer interacts with retail, and while online growth has always been on the radar it has been significantly aided by this pandemic into double digit growth way beyond that which anyone could predict.
Retail sales for the third quarter of 2020 showed a qualified improvement on the previous figures, according to the latest KPMG and Ipsos Retail Think Tank (RTT).
Adults across the UK have amassed a mountain of unused shopping vouchers during the lockdown, according to consumer group Which?
Stock file accuracy may not present a pretty picture, but taking ownership presents a realistic view of what the business needs to do, according to Zebra Technologies.
Body cameras can be a valuable asset to a retailer's safety toolkit, and be used for a variety of functions; ensuring social distancing in all areas is being observed, helping to deter aggression towards staff and other customers, and reducing the risk of theft.
Technology extinguishes bad practice and captures the Zeitgeist of the time.
At the beginning of the pandemic, mixed messages from the media led some retailers to exclude cash from its stores entirely, but since then the World Health Organisation and other health experts have made it clear that the risk of picking up a virus from cash is extremely unlikely. Closed cash management is the ultimate cash hygiene solution as it removes the necessity for manual cash processes entirely. Staff never have to handle cash either at the point of sale or in the back office. And as a completely closed system, it is also the best way to reduce shrinkage and improve security.
Although COVID-19, with all of its non-contact regulation, may have devalued the transactional currency, in part through confusion and mis-information, hard cash simply finds itself in a state of furlough rather than being forever forgotten, according to one of the world’s largest cash handling and management businesses. Tellermate, which provides intelligent counting and security systems to some of the world’s best known retail, grocery and hospitality brands, has observed the global trends emanating from the pandemic, but is seeing growth in demand for its range of cash handling solutions with some businesses using the lockdown to prepare for the return of cash.
It is no secret that the Coronavirus pandemic has led to declining cash usage rates. Prediction models suggest that cash usage in the UK will decline by 38% in 2020. So, while we cannot deny that cash usage is declining, there is still no reason to suggest that we’ll be seeing a cashless society anytime soon. Instead, this decline of cash usage highlights the necessity of smart cash handling and ensuring that every consumer is considered before making drastic changes to payment options.
The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) is calling on retailers in all sectors and local authorities across the UK to recognise, acknowledge and promote the use of cash as a safe choice of payment both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
A call for legally enshrined protection for retail staff against violence, threats and abuse has become the fastest growing Parliamentary petition of all time, reaching 10,000 signatures in just one day.
The UK food and grocery market is poised to grow by 10 per cent - or by £19.1 billion - by 2022, according to the latest market forecast research from IGD.
While the UK has adapted to the routine tightening and loosening of necessary controls to our everyday lives due to the pandemic, are UK businesses welcoming customers back ready for the potential of a closer to home spike in internal theft as a result of post-COVID desperation and furlough fear?
While the commercial impact of the Coronavirus global pandemic plays out across the retail sector, one emerging threat has thus far remained hidden from view – the potential epidemic of internal theft resulting from COVID-19 restrictions on randomised ‘pat downs’ and bag searches as employees leave stores and DCs.
AI ‘nudge’ technology in the front line of the fight against internal theft.
The Commitment Card is a secure and accredited charity employment database which is a voluntary vetting programme that works by directing charity staff and volunteers to register their details for a card which they take with them when they change jobs. If they are dismissed, the card is electronically withdrawn, meaning they have to re-apply for a new card to work, at which point this is flagged on the secure and accredited database.
Not being able to carry out stock counts will be bad news for retailers, but great news for internal thieves who know that if they steal something today, it won’t be noticed until next year, if at all. Here, the only winners are those engaged in theft as they know their dishonesty is less likely to surface in this post-COVID dystopic world, leaving the already hard-stretched retail industry tens of millions of pounds out of pocket.
Retailers have responded with frustration to the Government’s action plan for tackling violence against store staff, claiming it to be a missed opportunity to bring into law a specific offence.
Sanitising robots and social distancing tags unlock ‘the new normal’ for retail.
Stock file accuracy is the starting point from which all retailers measure their profit and losses, but how do they manage the mechanics of this delicate audit process safely in the depths of a global pandemic?
Attensi plays safe by providing risk training - without the risk.
The heat is on as Amberstone’s Dan Hardy reviews business resumption and takes the temperature of a possible summer of discontent.
UK retailers saw a 60 per cent surge in transactions in the early part of June as shops began to re-open after lockdown, according to new data from Barclaycard.
The impact on retail of the economic lockdown in April has been revealed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting an all-time low in sales.
Food home delivery is about to get the Amazon treatment as the online giant is poised to launch a new “Ultra Fast Fresh” delivery service to bring rapid grocery delivery to 40 per cent of UK households by 2021.
Successful and safe store re-opening will require a mix of practical measures and technology. The risk assessments required to be completed by retailers will place a great emphasis on staff and customer safety. For example, the risk of complaints and potential litigation could be high if businesses are considered to have failed to adequately enforce social distancing measures. ONVU Retail explores how remote monitoring, CCTV analytics and 360-degree camera technology will play a critical part in this area.
Conflict management specialists, Maybo, share their advice for new and returning retail employees during the Coronavirus crisis, plus some free training resources.
Just in time Indyme provides social distancing warning technology.
High stakes for the High Street as leading security expert asks ‘what’s in store for retailers post coronavirus?’
The high street was already going through a period of unprecedented change prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, with stores looking for ways to counter their online competitors and improve their in-store experience. And while the current situation has put retailers under even more immense pressure, many are using it as an opportunity to supercharge their digital transformation and ensure they’re ready to succeed in the future.
Fears around the Coronavirus have had a profound impact on shopper behaviour with increases in abuse, threats and assaults and a switch in store loyalty – from supermarket to convenience stores, according to two new pieces of research.
When building retail teams, experiences are as important as experience
Supermarkets at the front line of feeding a locked down UK have gone on a massive shopping spree for staff as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis.
Retail’s ever-changing landscape is being further shaped by the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, a crisis that has triggered innovative ‘business as usual’ solutions to help essential stores keep trading.
Britain’s local shops have been the victim of over 50,000 incidents of violence over the last year, according to figures from the Association of Convenience Stores’ 2020 Crime Report.
Primark’s owner Associated British Foods (ABF) has warned there is a risk of shortages of some clothing lines later this year if delays in factory production in China are prolonged because of the coronavirus.
There will be a number of challenges facing retailers this Christmas, according to the latest British Retail Consortium’s Festive FAQ 2019/2020.
Where loss prevention meets lost property in the recycling, reuse, and repatriation of mobile devices.
Shoppers are becoming increasingly used to do-it-yourself self checkout (SCO) technology, with 40 per cent having used it in the last six months and 60 per cent saying it improved their customer experience.
The Black Friday period could see sales growth of two to three per cent, although there is “a very real possibility” that it could be flat and the lowest sales figures ever recorded, according to IMRG, the industry association for online retail.
A brand new report highlights more bad news for the UK High Street with store-based profit margins plunging by more than half in eight years, pushing swathes of retailers to ‘breaking point’.
Small to medium sized retailers were the biggest target of crime in the last year, according to the latest survey from the Federation of Small businesses (FSB).
The collapse of package holiday company Thomas Cook has added to the woes of the UK High Street.
Consumers spent more money on credit cards with UK retailers last year than they did in cash, according to a report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
With gender politics high on the political and business agendas in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, a new study has revealed that one in 10 retail workers – equal to 319,000 staff – have experienced inappropriate touching of a sexual nature in their current workplace.
Tote box and roll cage ‘repo’ firm saving retail supply chains millions of pounds
New figures released by local councils have revealed that 15.9 per cent of all shops in the UK now lie empty.
UK retail sales volumes fell at their fastest pace since the financial crisis in the year to June, according to the latest figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
The scale of decline in bricks and mortar retailing was crystallised this month with a report highlighting that more than 20,000 shops have ‘disappeared’ from the high streets and communities they once served.
The growth of online shopping and new technologies has driven a loss of almost 75,000 retail jobs since last year, according to new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
More than three quarters (80 per cent) of consumers now consider post-purchase and delivery experience as fundamental to their desire to buy again from the same retailer, according to a study which found that customers feel ‘catfished’ if they are passed from one company to another.
A new report from Forrester has warned that department stores risk being a thing of the past if they do not embrace the future.
Failing stores are costing UK taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds, according to new figures.
Retail industry bodies from the UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland have come together to issue a stark warning on how a no-deal Brexit will affect shoppers.
A staggering 87 per cent of consumers do not trust retailers with their personal data, according to a recent survey.
The bubble for increased online sales over Christmas may be about to burst as ASOS and Boohoo report profit warnings and a new report predicts that the value of online returns are forecast to increase to £5.6 billion over the next five years.
British cities and towns may be playing host to German street markets this Christmas, but German shoppers are themselves targeting UK online retailers for their purchases, according to new research.
Early data from Friday’s sales event shows online transactions were up 55 per cent on last year between midnight and 10am and up 46 per cent overall, with online shopping continuing to surge throughout the day and into the so-called ‘Cyber Weekend’.
CSL, the leading provider of secure connectivity for machine to machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in mission-critical applications, has published the results of a study that highlights how UK retailers are failing to address connectivity concerns and how this is having a negative impact upon operational procedures.
The juggernaut of Internet shopping appears to be slowing down, with UK online retail sales in September growing at their lowest rate - 7.5 per cent year-on-year - since 2014, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini online retail sales index.
Nearly half (45 per cent) of retailers are planning to ban ‘serial returners’ – those shoppers who deliberately and regularly buy multiple items with the intent to return some.
More than half (52 per cent) of online small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) globally worry that the move to frictionless payments - such as transactions that take place behind the scenes in apps - is leaving them more open to fraud and will negatively impact revenues.
The UK leads the continental cashless payment market generating £81.3 trillion in electronic transactions, almost double the amount spent in any other European country, according to new research from Expert Market.
Six in 10 retailers believe that lost sales in digital channels are a bigger concern than fraud, with 48 per cent stating that they are willing to face an increased risk of fraud if it means more sales.
Belfast reinvents itself as Centre of Excellence in tackling retail crime
Cyber attacks in the retail sector are becoming more organised and structured, according to analysis of threat intelligence and breach incidents.
Retail sales using smartphones look set for a major increase in the next 12 months, according to the latest research.
Recorded store theft has reached new epidemic proportions, according to the latest research from global loss prevention solutions provider Checkpoint Systems.
Lone working is increasingly commonplace in retail environments as it offers many benefits to businesses. But what are the risks and what should retailers be doing to protect their staff?
Tackling anti-social behaviour and abuse towards retail workers is back at the top of the priority list for many retailers.
From counterfeit to counter culture. How that look-alike “Little Black Number” funds the black flag of hatred
Despite the hype, consumers are still wary when it comes to the security of their payments, according to a new survey.
Two new crime reports published this Spring point to a rise in violence and aggression against retail staff, compared to previous years.
While ‘bricks and mortar’ retail sales suffered at the mercy of the Beast from the East keeping shoppers at home, it was a fairer outlook for online purchasers, according to the latest research.
Restaurant chain Wagamama has announced the launch of Wagamamago – an app that enables customers to simply walk out of the restaurant once they have finished their meal, with payment automatically taken from their account.
The Republic of Ireland has become the latest territory for fraudsters using iTunes as currency by duping members of the public to purchase gift cards.
Britons are stealing £3.2 billion worth of goods from self-service tills each year - equating to around £5 per person a month.
The UK Government is raising awareness of the signs of money laundering and the risks firms and professionals face if caught facilitating or failing to report financial crime.
Amazon has announced the opening of its first Amazon Go supermarket in Seattle, which has no checkout operators or self-service tills.
More than three quarters of UK consumers believe that retailers are not doing enough to make shopping in-store enjoyable, new research has shown.
For most people in the Western world, the seasonal build up to December 25th is like living inside a snow globe that is shaken once a year to release the magic of Christmas.
China’s love affair with British brands has manifested itself in 55 per cent of shoppers purchasing their ‘little corner of England’ online in the past three months and spending an average of £104 per month on UK goods.
Half of British retailers are finally taking a joint approach to investing in the physical and digital shopping experience, new research has found.
Ireland is facing a huge financial storm as the cost of Hurricane Ophelia could reach as high as €1 billion.
In the English language, the word “set” reportedly has the most number of different meanings - 464 according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
In 2013, when she was Home Secretary, British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote in an editorial for the Telegraph, “It is walking our streets, supplying our shops and supermarkets, working in fields, factories, or nail bars, trapped in brothels, or cowering behind curtains in an ordinary street: slavery.
Stocktaking could soon become a totally automated daily process for large stores after US supermarket Schnucks began trials using robotics technology.
The future of retail could be a lot more physical and less digital than first thought, according to new research across Europe.
The British Retail Consortium has warned that the UK could face food shortages as a result of Brexit if the UK does not resolve issues around customs processes.
The ECR Community Shrink and OSA Group is looking for retailers to participate in a short telephone survey with the academics from the University of Portsmouth who are looking at the loss prevention challenges related to the "buy online, return to store" customer proposition.
Everyone knows that the first rule of managing shrink is being able to measure it.
Great retail ideas are seldom created in a vacuum, especially in the country that introduced the flat-pack furniture revolution to the rest of Europe.
The fashion industry is losing out by a staggering €161 trillion in revenue due to overstocks, out-of stocks and returns, according to new research by IHL Group which refers to the phenomenon draining the sector as the ‘ghost economy’.
As a young boy, my dreams and aspirations didn’t include wanting to be a health and safety professional.
In the mature and highly competitive European retail sector, ensuring that the right product is on the right shelf at the right time is critical, yet the problem of shelf out-of-stocks remains as stubborn as ever.
One of the UK’s leading supermarket chains has announced the success of replenishment technology that uses artificial intelligence to keep the store shelves stacked and reduce out-of-stocks.
Despite many heralding Brexit as the key deterrent for international businesses to set up shop in the UK, new findings have revealed that the complex business rates system could be more to blame.
Barclaycard is prepared for an increase in ‘serial returners’ – those who deliberately over-purchase and return unwanted items – over Christmas.
Online giant Amazon is entering the world of hassle-free physical shopping by allowing people to walk into stores, pick up what they want and leave without paying – seemingly.
There are few things as frustrating for a loss prevention leader than discovering product packaging they know will promote shrink, which could so easily have been prevented if those who created and approved the packaging had included shrink reduction in the initial design criteria.
The number of UK retailers that see Black Friday as an “unprofitable and unsustainable promotion” has doubled over the last 12 months – rising from 32 per cent in 2015 to 61 per cent this year, according to new figures.
The Tobacco Retailer’s Alliance (TRA) has called on the Government to do more to fight against the sale of illegal tobacco in independent retailers.
Shoppers love “click & collect”: they can order their favourite items online and then collect, at a time that suits them, from their nearest store, saving them money and time waiting in for a delivery.
We are all familiar with use of the word "shrinkage" to describe the losses experienced by retailers, although it is impossible to find any industry-wide agreement on what it actually means or the types of losses that are typically included when it is used by different retailers.
The UK saw Europe’s largest annual jump in card fraud losses for 2015, according to a new report from analytic software company FICO which has released an interactive map of European plastic abuse.
Amazon is partnering with the UK Government to test the various technologies that may one day make the delivery of parcels by small drones a reality.
Online fraud managers looking to drive down losses and improve service standards within the carrier community have been set a new challenge as Uber has announced plans to be the latest player in the home delivery market.
The British Prime Minister David Cameron has formally warned retailers against undermining the new national living wage after high-profile stores were accused of trying to bypass the regulations.
Europe’s love affair with Scandinavian crime drama has taken a real life twist as the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council (Handelsrådet) and The British Society of Criminology (BSC) plan to co-sponsor an international seminar on retail crime taking place in Stockholm on 15th September.
Retail theft from Irish stores is the highest it has been since 2004, according to figures from the Garda Síochána.
The new national ‘living wage’ to be introduced in April will cost retailers a staggering £3.26bn per year in extra pay, national insurance and pensions, according to a new study by the influential Centre For Retail Research (CRR).
The UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that criminals will no longer have to ‘tick the box’ that reveals past convictions on job applications.
Gifts of clothing and other stock donated by the public to charity shops that are left on the retailer’s doorstep outside of opening hours are at risk of theft and may not be protected by the law, according to one retail loss prevention specialist in the not-for-profit sector.
Carrefour has partnered with the Gueules Cassées (Ugly Mugs) collective to introduce the 'Tous AntiGaspi' (All Against Waste) range to its French stores as part of its efforts to reduce food waste and reduce its carbon footprint.
Taking Note of Nordic Countries Going through the Change.
While the US and the UK took advantage of Black Friday bargains, the event had to take on a new identity in the French capital.
Retailers and businesses will be much busier than normal over the Christmas period and often employ temporary staff, so there is an increased risk of counterfeit banknotes being passed.
England is following the rest of the United Kingdom in introducing a 5p charge for single-use plastic bags next week in an effort to spare the environment from the billions handed out by UK supermarkets every year.
The growth in online is not likely to kill the high street, according to a new report.
Defining organised retail crime in Europe and the US
Satisfaction with online shopping remains buoyant, but concern is growing over ‘returns’ policies getting more ‘draconian’ which could impact sales, according to the latest IMRG Internet retailing survey.
Organised international gangs are targeting charity donated black bag collections which are preventing international fundraisers getting aid to the world’s needy, according to watchdog groups Clothes Aid and Charitybags.org.
Dangerous fake alcohol some of which is made from harmful chemicals including windscreen wash have been seized by UK Trading Standards working with Interpol and Europol.
Scottish city is identified as top mafia base with interests in retail and catering.
Global economic crime impacting the retail and consumer markets is on the rise with almost half of respondents to a global survey being impacted.
To help protect your business, the Bank of England is reminding you to ensure all banknotes being passed in transactions are checked and to ensure all staff know what to do if they suspect a banknote is counterfeit.
Tips and guidance on how to handle seasonal worker screening.
New figures released by Financial Fraud Action UK show that card and remote banking fraud increased during the first six months of 2014.
Cashpoint or ATM fraud is on the increase, according to the European ATM Security Team (EAST) which has just published its second European Fraud Update for 2014.
A leading retail charity has announced a new partnership which hopes to turn around the growing issue of stress and depression in the workplace.
Hard disk drive crashes on desktop and laptop PCs continue to be responsible for the highest volumes of data loss by UK businesses and home users, according to new research from Kroll Ontrack. Two thirds (67%) of respondents said that HDD crashes caused data loss, compared with 14% who blamed human error and 10% who said software failure was responsible.
Three powerful European transportation organisations have joined forces to reinforce cross border supply chain security. The International Road Transport Union (IRU), the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA EMEA) and EUROWATCH, specialising in police response to security incidents across more than 40 European countries, have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to jointly contribute to reducing losses incurred by the international supply chain stemming from criminal activity and security breaches.
Reports Say Corporate Whistle Blowing across Europe Is in Crisis.
European consumers could soon benefit from a radical overhaul in the relationship between retailers and the banks over the cost of processing card payments. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed a significant vote by MEPs in the European Parliament for a comprehensive overhaul of the European payments market.
Biometrics refers to the quantification of human traits or characteristics into data that can be used for two main purposes: to identify and/or to validate. The most common forms of biometrics include facial recognition, fingerprint, iris, palm-vein scan and voice biometrics but other biometrics also exist to include things like ear shape and odour.
A far-reaching global research project is under way into the uses and abuses of mobile scanning in store.
