The Organised Retail Crime Phenomenon, Explained

Smash-and-grabs. Theft rings. Gangs and brazen daylight robberies.

Retail’s theft problem seems to be getting worse, at least according to the mountain of headlines claiming so. In earnings calls, CEOs point to shrink, or inventory loss due to a number of reasons including theft, as a culprit for slimming profits. Blaming the uptick in crime, some retailers have even shuttered locations in once-desirable downtown neighbourhoods such as San…