Retail Theft Prevention: Join Our Benchmarking Study Group

Canner Street Consulting invites your company to join with other leading retailers in a unique international benchmarking study aimed at combating shoplifting and employee theft—practices that cost retailers billions of dollars annually. Estimates of the amount of “shrinkage,” as it is euphemistically called, range from 2% to 5% of sales worldwide. For companies that are not active in combating it, shrinkage often runs into the double digits.

The study includes firms from across North America and Asia. The concept is simple. You provide a little data—completing a questionnaire that takes 2 to 4 hours of your time—and get a lot of data and in-depth analysis in return. You receive a detailed compilation and analysis of the Study Group’s responses. Individual replies of retailers will not be shown; yours will be included in your report only for your convenience so you can easily see how your company compares.
You receive a detailed analysis of the data, highlighting trends and best practices.
You gain a clear understanding of how your practices compare with those of other leading retailers.
You receive a list of participants, including their contact information.

The study covers:
*Analytical measures and techniques used to calculate and estimate theft losses
*Best practices in hiring, training, and operations to reduce theft losses
*Best practices using technology to detect, prevent, and prosecute theft
*New technology developments
*Upstream collaboration practices with suppliers
*Horizontal collaboration practices with other retailers and shopping centers
*Scams, old and new
*Using secret shoppers, consultants, and other human monitoring systems
*Best vendors providing theft prevention support/services
*Apprehension and criminal and civil prosecution practices and results
*Impact of theft on pricing and merchandizing practices
*Practices vis á vis organized retail crime
*Cost/benefit analyses of each of the above, where applicable.

U.S. companies are invited to join the study for a one-time fee of $1,000. Enrollment in the Study Group is open through March 31, 2010. The report will be delivered in May 2010. To join, contact Bert Nelson, at bcnelson@cannerstreet.com.