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Retailers prepare for Christmas crimefest
Archived article dated Monday December 3rd 2007
Research shows a staggering £48,833 is stolen per minute from retail stores during the Christmas period.
Christmas is fast approaching and the shops are stacked full of goods for the festivities - bright shining baubles, twinkling Christmas lights and Santas dishing out gifts from their grottos. 'Tis truly the season to be jolly. While the majority of people appreciate the age-old Christmas saying of 'good will to all men', there are, unfortunately, a number of dishonest individuals who are out to spoil the fun for everyone. *.The pressure of consumerism at this time of year is huge and temptation may become too much for people eager to get their hands on the best presents for family and friends. Crowded stores make ideal locations for theft, so retailers should prepare themselves for an onslaught of crime during the Christmas period. Stock protection and security systems are essential to keep profits being cut into because of these light-fingered folk.
New research, conducted by the Centre for Retail Research on behalf of Checkpoint Systems, has found that throughout the four-weeks leading up to the 24 December, 105,000 separate incidents of theft will occur - a rise of 206 per cent on a normal four-week period. Retailers need to be particularly aware on 22 December, the busiest shopping day of the year, when £2.93 million of stock is lost every hour of trading, contributing to a staggering total loss of £26.4 million in just 24 hours.
During the Christmas period, the value of goods stolen also tends to increase from the normal average of £77.95 to £85.71, highlighting the importance of installing efficient and effective security solutions. Goods from every sector are at risk, however, the most frequently stolen items include perfumes, alcohol, women's wear and cosmetics.
David Nuttall, Managing Director of Checkpoint Systems UK, said “The Christmas shopping period is a very busy time for retailers who face the problems of ensuring product availability, customer service and staff levels as well as trying to protect their stock from theft".
Tagged as: checkpoint
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