When it comes to retail, security should be a top priority.
Retail crime comes in many forms and affects almost every type of outlet, from small independent boutiques to high street chains and supermarkets.
The cost of shoplifting, theft, criminal damage, anti-social behaviour, assault on staff or customers and even organised crime can hit retailers hard.
The financial implications are often high, but the reputational damage on your business and brand can be just as significant.
So, if you run a retail business no matter how big or small, then deploying retail security guards is a good way of protecting your property, premises, customers and staff, and providing an excellent visual deterrent to would-be criminals.
As we always say, prevention is better than cure.
It’s often far easier – and cheaper – to invest in a robust retail security presence than have to count the cost, and heartache, of sorting out a crime or incident.
The most common types of retail crime
The most recent figures suggest that retail crime costs British businesses around £4.8bn-a-year.
Across the country, an estimated 10,000 shop thefts occur every day, which equates to one every eight seconds.
Fraud is committed every 40 seconds, on average, equating to more than 1,900 scams per day. Overall, retail crime costs around £21.11 every second, which adds up to around £1.82m per day.
Shoplifting is the most common crime committed against retail businesses.
Money fraud, where criminals use an illegal method to pay for goods including counterfeit cash, stolen credit cards or fake cheques, is a close second.
Checkout fraud, such as swapping barcodes or price stickers, deliberately not scanning items at self-service tills, or even staff allowing goods to go through the till without being swiped, comes in third.
Other common types of retail crime include refund fraud and burglary.
Aggressive abuse or violence towards customers and retail staff remains an issue, as does vandalism and criminal damage.
The latter, which includes graffiti, smashed windows and doors, valdalism or other damage to property, can be costly to resolve and can also result in your retail business having to close down while the damage is repaired.
Online scams are also on the rise, particularly for retail businesses which accept online payments or hold customer data digitally.
How can I protect my retail business?
There are many ways you can protect your retail business.
Investing in additional security measures such as CCTV or alarm systems, window grilles, and security door shutters, will help keep your premises more secure, especially when they are closed and lie empty.
However, for the ultimate peace of mind of knowing your business, premises, property, customers and staff are adequately protected, there is no beating retail security guards.
Deploying retail security guards in your store can achieve many things.
They can scan for issues and prevent crimes from being carried out in the first place.
They can provide advice on any security weaknesses your retail premises may have and recommend the right solutions.
They can also become a valuable member of your team, helping to welcome and reassure customers and play an essential role in ensuring your retail business’ day-to-day running goes smoothly.
How security guards can help retailers
In-store retail security guards provide a strong and reassuring visual presence that can deter and prevent crime.
When used in the right way, retail security guards can also help maintain your standards and reputation by dealing courteously with customers and being a friendly first port of call for any queries.
However, providing an in-store presence is not all that retail security guards do.
They can also help protect your retail business in a host of other ways, including CCTV monitoring, door or checkout supervision, undercover security and surveillance, mobile patrols, keyholding, emergency response, and liaising with police and local ShopWatch schemes.
Retail security guards can also help you to assess any potential risks to your premises or property and provide ad-hoc security solutions as and when required.
Although retail crime, statistically, is falling because more and more retailers are investing in improved security, it still remains a big issue for businesses of all sizes.
So, ask yourself this question, can your retail business really afford to not invest in security guards?
Find out more about our retail security solutions
At TitanServ, we understand that security is about more than just protecting your people, property, and assets.
It’s about protecting your reputation too.
That’s why all the retail security guards we supply are highly trained and experienced and work to the highest standards in the industry so that when they are deployed within your shop, store or mall, they represent it in the right way.
To find out more about how we can help you protect your retail business, give us a call on 01792 720955, or email tscltd@titanserv.co.uk