Jumbo stores are experiencing increasing damage from shoplifting. More than 100 million euros are stolen from supermarkets every year, the supermarket chain reports when presenting its annual figures. The family business from Veghel will step up the fight against shoplifting by, among other things, using more intensive camera surveillance ‘and other visible and invisible measures’.
The company announces that losses due to stolen products now amount to approximately 1 percent of company turnover. Shop employees are increasingly confronted with unpleasant situations and increased tensions. “A loss due to theft of 1 percent may not sound like much, but in our case it amounts to an amount of more than 100 million euros per year,” says Jumbo boss Ton van Veen.
Deter shoplifters
Measures should deter shoplifters in the future. This month, Jumbo says it is testing various new methods to prevent and combat theft.
“If we could put this amount into a price reduction, all our customers would benefit from this,” Van Veen explains. “That will be our approach. But what is perhaps even more important is that I want to create a safer environment for employees and customers in the store.”
Jumbo has a total of 725 stores. Damage caused by shoplifting is not only a growing problem at Jumbo in the Netherlands. The number of reports of this over the past year is expected to be a record number.