Big plans for the New Year: Advantage One starts 2025 by sharing how it has reduced shoplifting incidents by 77.6% over a 32 week period for one major retailer…

One thing I can tell you about New Year’s resolutions at Advantage One… Nobody makes them.

Not because we think we are perfect. Far from it. It is because genuinely try to be our best selves all year around… not just in the run up to the 1st day of a new year. So, in depth self-analysis followed by temporary changes in habit are not part of our New Year’s rituals. That said, there are traditions – including that of never knowing quite what the UK weather is likely to do next. Pity the poor souls across the country eagerly anticipating an outdoor New Year’s Eve only to find their plans wrecked.

Cancelled due to bad weather, the Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations were a particularly high profile victim of the weather. And you have to feel for those people who travelled in from abroad specifically for the event, only to find out at the last moment that their party had been called off. Our team were more fortunate…

I know Scott likes to do something with his kids early in the evening and then bring in the New year watching Jools Holland and the fireworks. Despite the extreme weather forecast resulting in the cancellation of a great many events, the London fireworks went off without a hitch.

Jools Holland too seemed unaffected by the weather, as was Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats who appeared live on the show and were as brilliant as ever. Well done Sir Bob. At 73 years of age, you are still a complete rock star. And well done London for putting on such a great show (this year even better than Sydney, it has been suggested!). So, Scott was a happy chappy! Also unaffected by the weather was Matthew whose tradition of going to a 70s disco with friends every New Year’s Eve was also suitably weatherproof.

In fact, I think the only real casualty from the Advantage One office this year was me and Esme. I can tell you that venturing outside for our customary walkies was both cold and wet. As for New Year’s Day, I know that Scott has a curious tradition. Every year his parents visit – not curious in itself! However, Scott’s mum loves cold meats – who doesn’t at Christmas! With those cold meats, Scott’s mum is very partial to a spot of piccalilli, which being a dutiful son Scott lays on for her. Unfortunately, she is the ONLY person who EVER eats piccalilli in the Bowhill household throughout the entire year. Nobody else can stand it! So, each year she goes home with the remnants of the jar, which is practically full!

Now I also happen to know that Scott’s mum likes to open one final Christmas present on New Year’s Day. Is it just me or wouldn’t wrapping the piccalilli up in wrapping paper and giving it to her on arrival kill two birds with one stone… or is that just mean!?!

As I said, there will not be any New Year’s resolutions at Advantage One. However, that does not mean we are not excited about the New Year. I am delighted to say that we have a number of initiatives coming on stream in 2025, all of which offer new opportunities for Retailers to reduce their losses due to crime.

However, the initiative that is pre-occupying me for the first part of 2025 is a 32 week study that we have undertaken with Heart of England Co-op…

The report into what we achieved has thrown up some very exciting data. Not least how our store detectives are delivering crime reductions of as much as 90% in some stores in 2-3 weeks with a sustained reduction of up to 77.6% over the entire 32 week period. That’s the prevention of thousands of incidents, saving very significant sums as well as having ongoing benefits associated with better stock availability and customer satisfaction; not least making it safer for the colleagues who are now much less likely to experience crime.

Obviously reducing shoplifting incidents by over 77% across a 32 week period is something that any retailer is going to want to understand. And I am very much looking forward to meeting with retailers this year to demonstrate what we have achieved, how we have achieved it and showing how we can achieve it in their stores too. Perhaps you should make a New Year’s resolution right now to find out how we are doing it. That’s the sort of New Year’s resolution worth making for ANY retailer!