Businesses are always at risk of theft. One common form of theft that often goes unnoticed is refund fraud - when an employee or an outsider can manipulate the system to issue fake refunds, causing significant financial losses to the company. 

In 2020, there were approximately 90,900 incidents of shoplifting under $5,000. While this is a substantial decrease from previous years, it is still an incredibly high number. Not to mention, the decrease is believed to be because many stores were closed and so much time was spent at home through the pandemic.

Shoplifting is a major issue in Western Canada. Even with the decrease in shoplifting in 2020, there were 90,904 police reported incidents of shoplifting under $5,000. Of those, 20,791 were in Alberta and 20,005 were in British Columbia. Manitoba and Saskatchewan had significantly less but still in the thousands at 7,447 and 3,103, respectively.

If you have a business that’s closed in the evenings, you may have considered motion sensor lights to help boost your security. The question is, do these lights really work?

Shoplifting, property damage, smash and grabs and other crimes are on the rise in Edmonton. It has gotten so bad that downtown business owners are locking doors to control who comes in and reducing opening hours. 

Now more than ever, retail stores in Edmonton need to ensure they have a robust security solution in place.

Last month, $40,000 in inventory was stolen from a wig shop in Vancouver. That very same shop was also robbed twice in 2020. 

Despite a focused effort by local law enforcement to reduce thefts, Vancouver continues to have the highest rate of bicycle theft per capita out of any major city in Canada, according to data compiled by CBC News.

It shows just how important effective security solutions are for Vancouver-based bicycle retailers.

There are ongoing reports of crime being down in Canada this past year. While that may be true on average for the country and provinces, some areas are seeing increases. 

One example is Vancouver, which saw a 260% increase in shoplifting involving a weapon in 2020 compared to 2019. And as restrictions are further reduced and more customers are allowed to be in stores at a time, it may become more difficult to monitor and reduce shoplifting, even in areas where there have been strong declines. 

So what can you do as a business owner to enhance retail security and better protect your staff and customers? Here are four tips for detecting and deterring shoplifters.

Preventing thefts in your retail store can be an entire job on its own, and with shoplifting on the rise securing your retail store is even more important. 

In 2019 there were 140,286 reported shoplifting incidents under $5,000 in Canada (this is compared to 99,907 in 2015).  And Western Canada accounted for more than 50 percent of these incidents. 

A few months back, Vancity released a survey of the downtown strips in Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey and Kamloops. The results showed an increase in vandalism and retail break-ins and that retail businesses are greatly concerned about rising crime on the street.

You might think this goes against the lock-downs, and you are right that ‘feet on the street’ numbers are way down. In fact, Government Street in Victoria had one million fewer visits to the retail block but still retailers said their main concern was crime and safety.

If you are in this situation we understand the situation. Not only are retailers dealing with loss of revenue because of limited hours, closed locations, and other pandemic effects - but the pandemic has introduced more security issues. Closed stores, less people around, especially at night, has made store fronts vulnerable.

Retailers are well aware of how costly and time consuming it is to manage loss prevention including: loss of inventory because of employee theft, customer theft, organized crime, counting errors, and damaged goods. The average retail chain owner spends 2% of sales dollars on loss prevention.

Sonitrol Western Canada, can help solve these retail security problems with a security solution custom designed for retailers focused on reducing theft, break and enter, and armed robbery.

As a retail store owner or manager, finding ways to improve the customer experience, open up new revenue streams and introduce new products are all important for the ongoing success of your business.

Current events regarding COVID-19 have led to an increase in business closures and more teams working remotely. That means a business security solution is more important than ever before. 

A proper security solution is essential for any business across Western Canada, but perhaps none more so than liquor stores based in Alberta. That’s because over the past year there has been a huge spike in alcohol theft across the province.

The AGLC - the Government of Alberta’s Crown commercial enterprise and agency that oversees the liquor industry in the province - has released a statement warning liquor licensees of an increase in “brazen” liquor thefts in Alberta.

Retail sales are set to boom as we move into the festive holiday season, but are you protecting your profits with a robust retail store security solution? Unfortunately, many retail store owners are not.

That’s why shoplifting accounts for up to $5 billion a year in losses for Canadian retailers, according to a 2018 estimate from the Retail Council of Canada.

In just a few weeks, we will be getting into the swing of the holiday season. Upcoming events include Thanksgiving, Diwali, Halloween, Singles’ Day, Black Friday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and each of these will involve some combination of family meals, décor, gift exchanging and dressing to the nines.

As a retailer, this means more business and increased cash flow. However, it also means an increased risk for retail theft and other criminal acts - both internally and externally.

Do you own a retail business in Alberta? If so, you’ll probably know just how important it is to implement a security plan that properly protects your assets, your employees and your livelihood from theft.

This is even more important after new figures from Statistics Canada found a surge in shoplifting in Calgary - part of a growing trend across Alberta and Canada as a whole. In fact, shoplifting was largely responsible for Calgary’s growing crime rate last year.

Are you a retail business owner? Have you witnessed violence in your workplace? Did you know that violence in the workplace costs the British Columbia (BC) retail industry almost a million dollars a year in worker’s compensation alone? Not only that, but millions more are lost in missing merchandise, stolen money and property damage? 

The time between Thanksgiving and New Years is a time for celebration, delicious meals and catching up with the people who are most important to you. However, with the good comes the bad and the holiday season also means an increased need for security at your retail store. 

 “Organized retail crime continues to be one of the biggest challenges to retailers of all sizes,” NRF Vice President for Loss Prevention Bob Moraca said in a statement. “These crimes happen across the country every day, with criminals getting smarter, more brazen, more aggressive and sometimes even attacking store employees and shoppers. Fighting ORC is a full-time job, and retailers must learn how to stay a step ahead of these thieves.” Security Info Watch, 2017