Retail Chains Recruit High Calibre Executives and Managers to Devise and Implement Profit Protection and Loss Prevention Strategies.
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UK retailing is now far more than simply sales through the tills with profits that will follow. Retailers are feeling the pinch, and need to look to bottom line profit rather than top line sales figures. A percentage of retail store managers and even some board members in many UK retail companies only ever consider stock loss and shrinkage as a percentage of sales, which can seem like a small number.
Express stock loss and shrinkage as a percentage of bottom line profit, and see why it's vital to recruit and retain the best experts at loss prevention and profit protection. Thousands of people are engaged in Loss Prevention jobs in the UK.
The 4 steps to a fantastic shrink or stockloss result are :-
1. Hire the right people
2. Train your people properly
3. Hold your people accountable
4. Ensure your people are happy
An increase in customer theft, staff dishonesty and other causes of shrinkage and stockloss will adversely affect a shop's customers, staff and shareholders. High Street Retail is big business, and UK shops are a very competitive market. No retail store can afford to accept stock loss to a greater degree than their competition.
Every retailer, from Tesco through to TK Maxx, Marks & Spencer to Morrisons, from Asda to B&Q, from Argos to Focus DIY, all have a strategy to minimise stockloss. All have recruited specialist employees for loss prevention roles. Security resources play a part in Profit Protection, but are not the whole answer. Security Officers (or Uniformed Security Guards and other Loss Prevention jobs), Store Detectives, CCTV (Closed Circuit Television), and EAS (Electronic Articles Surveillance) tagging measures mainly combat external theft (Shoplifting). Security measures will have little or no impact on stock loss and shrinkage caused by poor process and procedures.
Profit Protection, Loss Prevention and Security
Supermarkets, Department Stores, Garden Centres, DIY shops are all shopping units where - if left unchecked - shrinkage can seriously cut profit margins, especially with today's financial environment.
Gone are the days when the tradtional Security Department was the low budget poor relation within retail. Profit Protection, Loss Prevention, and Security Management are now recognised professions, budgets relative to the relationship between stockloss and operating profit.
Many forward thinking retail companies realise that although they may only lose 1-2% of their stock to inventory shrinkage, this may actually be more than 50% of their profit.
The sites listed above represent the main industry players in recruitment of high calibre Loss Prevention and Security Managers. Companies such as SSR, Churchills and RISC - all specialist recruiters of loss prevention management expertise - flourish because good retailers need to minimise stockloss, because in a market of declining sales, stock loss and shrinkage can swallow an enormous percentage of net profit.
The money which makes up total stockloss is often the only free money left on the table.
Having the right people driving and implementing the Profit Protection strategy will dramatically reduce total stockloss and could double a retailer's profit, in addition to a safer working and shopping environment.
In the UK, the latest store crime statistics suggest that total stock loss is made up roughly of 33% Customer Theft ( Shoplifting ), 33% Staff Dishonesty ( employee fraud ), and 33% Process errors (in-correct pricing, short deliveries,booking-in errors et c.).Yet many retailers neglect internal dishonesty and process issues, choosing to spend the majority of their loss prevention budgets on measures to combat shoplifting.
Many retailers have poor processes and expect the customer to pay for them. They also ignore the threat within, which means Internal Dishonesty will grow to endemic proportion, paid for by customers, honest staff and shareholders. CCTV, EAS Tagging Systems, Store Detectives and Security Guarding are a popular solution, and specialist loss prevention consultancy firms such as ORIS have formed strategic partnerships with suppliers. A Head of Loss Prevention or Profit Protection may also consider directly employing professional Loss Prevention and Profit Protection personnel, tailoring their
description and KPI's to meet the proportion of Internal Dishonesty, Process Error and Shoplifting of their business.