Retail Shrink and ORC: US Small Business Owners’ Perspectives on Retail Theft, Plus New Measures To Combat Theft in New York, the UK and Australia

What's Inside

Retail shrink through theft continues to be a persistent and intensifying headwind for retailers globally. Retailers have increasingly been impacted by a wave of shoplifting and organized retail crime (ORC) that has put a dent in their margins and has become a growing focus for the sector.

We present developments in retail shrink and ORC in the UK, US and Australia in November 2023. We also provide commentary on the topic from the recent earnings calls of selected retailers based in the UK, US and Canada.

Data in this research report include:

• The scale of retail shrink losses in the US, 2022
• US-based small retail businesses’ perspectives on retail theft
• Theft skrinkage rate and value in the UK, 2023

Companies mentioned in this report include: Ahold Delhaize, Coles Group, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar Tree, Five Below, Foot Locker, Kroger, Loblaws, Ulta Beauty

Other relevant research:

• Read the first report in the Retail Shrink and ORC series
• RetailTech: Leading-Edge Loss Prevention—Tackling Theft and Fraud Through RFID, Video Surveillance and More, a free report, sponsored by Sensormatic
• Retail Challenges Drive Edge Technology Investment, a free report, sponsored by VMware
• Retail-Tech Landscape: Loss Prevention
• Watch our Insights Video for more insights from our analysts on loss prevention.