Retail, logistics and other senior loss prevention personnel can find out about the latest strategies and opportunities to protect profits from organised criminal gangs and other types of theft and unaccounted for losses when they visit Lodge Service at the Retail Risk Conference in London on July 22nd.
Formed in 1919, Lodge Service is the largest and longest established family-owned security consultancy in the United Kingdom, now employing more than 800 staff internationally with an annual turnover of over £25 million.
Lodge Service is a specialist in Total Retail Loss, Loss Prevention Intelligence and Investigations, Data Analysis and Security Technology & Integration. The goal is to identify and take effective counter-measures to stop malicious and non-malicious losses in retail stores, hospitality venues, supply chains, e-commerce, corporate and cash scenarios.
Using its unique ‘Lean deployment’ model ensures a proportionate, timely response to deploy security countermeasures to immediate threats, safely and cost-effectively.
Lodge Service’s loss prevention and profit protection expertise help businesses prevent margin attrition arising from criminal and negligent loss. It operates and organises countermeasures based on the principle that losses occur when rules are broken. Theft prevention and adherence to correct procedures ensure that shrinkage is kept to a minimum.
Services include:
- Loss prevention strategy and consultancy
- Outsourced Profit Protection Teams
- Audit and system assessment
- Data mining and analysis
- Investigations, interviews and evidential packs for criminal prosecution and civil recovery
- Test purchasing
Profit Protection: Today’s Challenges and Risks
There are more threats to Profit Protection than ever before.
Organised Gang Activity represents an estimated 80% of losses to retail crime. Small, random acts are often connected to major criminal gang activity. Criminals are sophisticated: they know how to beat security. Many specialise in fraud – whether stealing via credit card transactions or at the point of sale, such as through fraudulent returns.
But non-malicious, systemic losses make up 75% of total loss: wastage, damage, staff errors, non-compliance and more.
Coronavirus safety compliance and other regulations present a new challenge. This is because of the disruption to established processes and systems, as well as the additional cost burden.
The supply chain problems resulting from Brexit are a further threat to profitability. More than ever, an effective profit protection strategy is vital to protect your supply chain from theft and negligent losses, and ensure that the data you hold is accurate and timely.
Staffing shortages are an escalating problem. The pressure to recruit can impact upon recruitment screening and training – and the capabilities of personnel to carry out secure processes and systems correctly and without errors.
To develop a successful solution, Lodge Service’s Insight and Profit Protection Strategy will identify and provide key data on all potential sources of loss, and then a process to cut these costs. It provides a consistent, cost-effective plan, based upon proven principles of Lean Deployment that Lodge Service has developed over the course of 100 years.
The Science of Loss Measurement & Control
A big challenge for Profit Protection today is the under-reporting of losses from all causes.
The complexity of retail operations, with major pressures on loss prevention budgets and staffing levels, means that too many businesses are unable to identify and accurately measure where losses occur. From theft and criminal damage to non-malicious events, including wastage, accidents and additional administrative costs.
Lodge Service brings clients its unmatched 100 years of experience to help you identify the reasons for avoidable losses and where they occur, then analyse and measure these costs, and finally advise on an effective profit protection strategy.
The Profit Protection Strategy includes:
- Data mining, analysis & intelligence: to understand the retail losses & threats to your business
- Focus on a proportionate, cost-effective solution, with ‘lean’ deployment of resources
- Support for technology integration and reporting systems for centralised control
Outsourced Profit Protection Teams
Lodge Service’s Profit Protection team of professionals are trained in loss prevention and shrinkage strategies that can help you protect your profits. We offer services that include inventory control, security audits and more.
We are able to add value to your existing internal loss prevention structure by providing the services of an experienced and qualified loss prevention specialist, either on a short to medium-term contract or for specific projects that may arise as your needs and the challenges for your business change.
We have a wide network of loss prevention specialists available to serve both the retail and distribution sectors, all benefiting from management support provided by the Lodge Service team at our intelligence centre.
Test Purchasing
The Lodge Service team specialises in random checks and targeted point of sale test purchasing. Our field-based operatives will help you protect your profit margins by ensuring the integrity of your products at the point of sale.
We offer free consultations to review and discuss how best to protect your business interests and will work with you every step of the way. This includes audit reports to identify vulnerabilities and solutions on how best to protect against theft in-store or online. We also provide ongoing support by monitoring your store’s profit protection performance over time and recommending changes as needed.
Our experienced team measures compliance against agreed loss prevention policies and procedures through a programme of no-notice and scheduled venue audits.
In addition to our standard audits, we provide feedback in respect of compliance with agreed criteria across a wide range of business risks. These include financial and anti-money laundering, health & safety and data protection and GDPR.
Feedback is provided through a secure online portal, with reports delivered within 24 hours of the visit. There are detailed monthly, quarterly and annual business information summaries to highlight opportunities across your entire estate.
Interviews and Investigation
If a suspicious activity or unaccountable losses occur, we respond fast, with experienced and qualified investigators, operating undercover or overtly. Our team has completed Wicklander-Zulawski or Home Office CID training, to meet legislative and HR requirements. Working closely with you and your HR team, we provide specialist support to resolve incidents of either a disciplinary or criminal nature.
Evidence Packs – we can provide a criminal and civil evidence pack
We can either place someone within your business to support a shortfall of in house resources until you can fulfil your compliment or this can be purchased at a day rate.
Newsletters & Poster campaigns
Internal communications programmes support your profit protection strategy. We can create yours on a monthly or quarterly basis, based on intelligence and recorded activity across the UK or internationally. Newsletters are invaluable:
- Celebrate programme success – praise, recognition and reward.
- Showcase your analytical skills, driving the power of data.
- Demonstrate the science behind the data, with examples of criminal activity, trends, and outcomes.
- Show what can go wrong and the action taken to drive a culture of deterrence, with case studies.
‘Get the walls talking’ with a poster campaign to share news and deterrence messaging:
- Engagement with employees and talking point initiatives
- ‘Table talkers’ placed in communal areas and utilised as conversation starters
- A deterrent for anyone thinking of wrongdoing.
Book a Free Insight session
The Insight Workshop is a key step that retailers and others can take to develop a strategy to identify losses, reduce risks and increase profitability, whilst optimising the safety and protection of customers, staff and other stakeholders.
The workshop is usually held at the retailers’ premises. Our specialists in Total Loss and Security meet with your senior loss, risk, finance and operational managers, as you choose.
Following the workshop and further analysis by our team, we review the results with you. So you can plan the next step in your strategy, based on full knowledge of the options, costs and potential savings for the business.
Key Takeaways from the Insight Workshop or Thought Leadership day:
- Determine priority needs to increase profits, reduce losses and protect & secure
- An understanding of Total Loss and the ‘Resource to Risk’ model
- Insight into intelligence-based ‘lean deployment’ of security resources
- LP analysis of where you are, compared with where you need (and want) to be
- New focus and insight on profits, sales, service and costs
- Solutions focused on people, hardware, software, education and collaboration
- Quick wins: opportunities for reduction in losses and risks now
Attendees: from your key stakeholder functions, including senior operational & executive management teams (recommended)
Get In Touch Today