Loss Prevention Services
Violence and abuse against people working in retail has almost doubled on pre-pandemic levels. The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Crime Survey reveal that incidents, including racial abuse, physical assault, and threats with weapons, rose from the pre-Covid high of over 450 per day in 2019/20, to over 850 per day in 2021/22.
Alongside the huge emotional and physical impact on people, retail crime bears a huge financial cost. The survey revealed the total cost of retail crime stood at £1.76 billion in 2021/22. £953 million was lost to customer theft, with eight million incidents of theft over the year. Retailers also spent £715 million on crime prevention in 2021/22. While some costs are critical in protecting colleagues, they also contribute to higher prices for customers by pushing up retailers’ operating costs. BRC Crime Survey 2023 (2023) British Retail Consortium. Available at: https://brc.org.uk/news/operations/brc-crime-survey-2023/ (Accessed: 17 October 2023).
At Advantage One, our Retail and Loss Prevention team specialise in Protecting your People – Protecting your Profits – Protecting your Reputation.
- Visual Deterrent or Covert Operatives significantly reduce and recover lost profit in your retail business (ask us about the civil recovery scheme!).
- Improve your line of defence against stock loss from shoplifting/staff theft/and internal shrinkage.
- Not only can we provide the solution to the problem, but we can also help identify it in the first place as to where your weaknesses are and how they are being exploited.
- At Advantage One, we also provide an internal investigations solution with our investigations team. Our team specialise in malpractice or procedural breeches in line with your policies and procedures.