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UPDATE: Help Sherwin-Williams Director of LP Bryan Hajek raise money
for childhood cancer research
Just an update on where we stand in this fundraising effort. Thank you for your support thus far. We are about halfway to my low goal of $6,000 in fundraising for this amazing charity that raises money to fund the research for children's cancers. Remember that if I hit $10K this year, I will let them shave my head, and will also let them shave my beard completely off...you know that is a small price to pay to see what lies under this hair.

Again, I realize that we all have our charities that we consistently support, so if this one is not for you, I understand. But if you are interested in funding this worthy cause, please visit the link below, which will take you directly to my fundraising page.

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/949415/2018

Thanks for all of your support!

- Bryan Hajek, CFE, CFI, Director of Loss Prevention, The Sherwin-Williams Company

Retailers report increased fraud incidents despite EMV
Retail losses from fraud are continuing to increase despite the introduction of EMV chip cards that were supposed to dramatically reduce credit card fraud, according to a new study from LexisNexis.

Each retail company surveyed saw an average of 238 successful fraud incidents a month in 2017, with an average transaction value of $181, according to the "True Cost of Fraud" study. That was up from 206 incidents in 2016, when the average value was $146. In 2015 - the year retailers were required to install chip card readers or face increased exposure to fraud costs - there were 156 incidents with an average value of $113.

When all costs of dealing with fraud are factored in, the "fraud multiplier" amounted to $2.77 for every dollar of fraud, an increase of 15 percent over 2016, the company said. For online retailers the amount came to $3, an increase of 21 percent.

"The introduction of chip ... cards continues to move fraud to the online channel," the report said. With the growth in online fraud exceeding the 16 percent growth in online sales reported by the Commerce Department, "we can point to EMV implementation at physical retail stores as a cause," says LexisNexis Risk Solutions Vice President of Fraud and Identity Management Strategy Paul Bjerke. stores.org

Springfield, MA: Police fining city businesses for excessive false security alarms
The Springfield Police Department has begun enforcing a city ordinance - already on the books but inconsistently enforced -- that allows it to fine residents and businesses with excessive false security alarms.

Ryan Walsh, spokesman for the department, said enforcement began at the start of the year and the city is currently generating the bills for the January violations. False security alarms are a significant drain on police department resources, Walsh said.

In 2017, the police department responded to nearly 14,000 security alarms from more than 3,700 city residences and businesses. Some 73 percent of those alarms, more than 10,000 of them, were false, Ryan said.

Each one of those alarms, Ryan said, takes a police officer approximately 15 minutes to check out. In 2017, the police department expended approximately seven man-hours a day running down false alarms.

Part of the solution for businesses is to better train employees. A lot of the false alarms occur as workers open and close for business, Ryan said. Other false alarms may stem from maintenance issues, he said. masslive.com

Johnson Controls advances real-time incident response with centralized video and event management in victor and VideoEdge
Johnson Controls introduces the newest version of its victor Video Management System and VideoEdge Network Video Recorders (NVRs) from American Dynamics, version 5.2, a powerful video management system that provides enhanced video intelligence and analytics to greatly improve the efficiency of security personnel and daily business operations.

The victor client on VideoEdge hardware platforms allows users to leverage high-performance video streaming, audio, motion meta-data and an expansive feature set for improved real-time command and management. tycosecurityproducts.com

Bosch Fully Integrates Surveillance Cameras With Genetec Systems
Bosch announces its cameras are being fully integrated with Genetec systems, resulting in an end-to-end data security solution incorporating all Bosch network video surveillance cameras, plus Genetec Archiver and Security Center.

Bosch is taking a proactive stance on cybersecurity due to the the rise of IoT devices and cybercrime. The result is this end-to-end data security solution. securitysales.com

Guess cofounder will step aside as the company investigates Kate Upton's allegations of sexual misconduct
The cofounder of Guess has agreed to temporarily step down from his role amid allegations of sexual misconduct that are now being investigated by the company.

The retailer announced in a press release Tuesday that cofounder Paul Marciano will be "relinquishing his day to day responsibilities pending the completion of the investigation." Marciano will not be paid during this time.

Earlier this month, Kate Upton spoke out on social media, accusing Marciano of sexually and emotionally harassing women without specifying a particular incident.

A week later, in an interview with Time, Upton claimed that Marciano had sexually harassed and assaulted her during her first professional modeling campaign, when she was 18. businessinsider.com

Grocery retailer Albertsons to buy drugstore chain Rite Aid
The privately held owner of Safeway, Vons and other grocery brands is plunging deeper into the pharmacy business with a deal to buy Rite Aid, the nation's third-largest drugstore chain.

Shareholders of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons will own more than 70% of the combined company, which is expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The companies say the deal should close in the second half of this year, but regulators and Rite Aid shareholders still have to approve it.

Rite Aid Chairman and CEO John Standley will lead the combined company as chief executive, while Albertsons leader Bob Miller will serve as chairman. The companies say they will keep headquarters in both Boise and Camp Hill, Pa., which is where Rite Aid is based.

Albertsons said it will continue to run Rite Aid stand-alone stores, and most of the grocery operator's pharmacies will be rebranded as Rite Aid. Albertsons also runs Jewel-Osco, Shaw's and Acme stores.

Rite Aid Corp. said earlier this year that it runs around 4,400 stores. Larger rival Walgreens had tried unsuccessfully to buy the chain, but the company scuttled that push last year after encountering regulatory resistance. Last September, Walgreens agreed to buy nearly 2,000 Rite Aid locations and some distribution centers for about $4.38 billion. Rite Aid said late last month that it had transferred about 625 stores to Walgreens. latimes.com

Report: Winn-Dixie parent company could close 200 stores
Bi-Lo LLC, a subsidiary of the same Jacksonville company that owns Winn-Dixie, could file for bankruptcy as soon as next month, according to a Bloomberg report.

Parent company Southeastern Grocer is planning to shut down nearly 200 stores either before or after the possible filing, Bloomberg wrote, citing people with knowledge of the matter who declined to be named because the process is not public. tampabay.com

750 KFCs in Britain closed because they ran out of chicken
Seven hundred and fifty KFC outlets across the UK have been closed after a change in food distributors led to a chicken shortage for the company. More than 80% of all KFCs in Britain have been forced to close because the delivery company that recently took over the job of getting chickens to each restaurant has been unable to deliver. businessinsider.com

Grocers Embrace Blockchain in New Era of Transparency
Two years ago, no one in the food industry was talking about blockchain, unless they were having a discussion about Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. But thanks to a 2016 proof-of-concept project with Armonk, N.Y.-based technology powerhouse IBM and the world's largest retailer - Walmart Inc. - blockchain is bringing new worlds of possibility to the concepts of data sharing and transparency. IBM's initial work with Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart involved tracing shipments of pork in China, and fresh mango in the United States.

Building on the success of those tests, the technology continues to gain steam in the industry, as IBM is now collaborating with Walmart and two additional retailers - the Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. and Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets - as well as Temple, Texas-based supply chain services provider McLane Co. and a consortium of leading suppliers such as Dole, Driscoll's, Golden State Foods, McCormick and Co., Nestle, Tyson Foods, and Unilever. Its master plan is to accelerate and bring to scale its enterprise-ready, blockchain traceability solution, called IBM Food Trust. progressivegrocer.com

House Passes Bill To Curb Lawsuits Over ADA Violations
The House of Representatives passed a bill intended to curb allegedly abusive Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits Thursday, even as critics argued it would undermine protections under the civil rights law.

The House passed the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 on a 225-192 vote, with a handful of Democrats joining Republicans on a measure that would give restaurant and other business owners as much as four months to comply with the ADA before they can be sued. Bill backers like Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the House Judiciary Committee chairman, said the legislation would help put a stop to abuses of the system that amount to shakedowns of small businesses for technical ADA violations.

The bill now heads over to the Senate, where it faces a steeper climb for passage and would require the support of nine of the chamber's 49 Democrats to advance. law360.com

Gap brand CEO to leave

Can Circuit City come back from the dead?

Restaurants May Be The New Shopping Mall 'Anchor Tenants'

14 of the craziest knockoff fast-food chains from around the world


Quarterly Results
The Home Depot Q4 comps up 7.2%, net sales up 7.5%
Walmart Q4 comps up 2.6%, eCommerce sales up 23%, total revenue up 4.1%
Kirkland's Q4 comps up 2%, net sales up 10.5%

Full Year Results
The Home Depot full-year comp's up 6.9%, net sales up 6.7%
Walmart full-year comps up 2.1%, eCommerce sales up 44%, total revenue up 3%
Kirkland's full-year comps up 0.3%, net sales up 6.7%
 

Quantifying your risk with the right data

The speed of business has exponentially accelerated the supply chain, and our members rely on a variety of vendors' tools, technology, and services to help them make their departments and the flow of goods run effectively. Our Vendor Spotlight Series aims to highlight innovative companies and their C-Level leaders who are taking the industry to the next level when it comes to LP & security.

We recently caught up with Matthew Wensing, CEO of Riskpulse, a predictive and prescriptive analytics company that helps its clients strengthen their financial and physical operations globally through its sophisticated data-modeling and tracking software.

ISCPO: Tell us how Riskpulse was created and what problem were you trying to solve?

As an entrepreneur back in 2004, I launched Riskpulse to provide a better means of protecting the business world from mother nature. Essentially through tracking and alerts that were very advanced at the time. Google Maps had just been released and we were all fascinated with Google Earth. The vast majority of us had never seen the world at our fingertips like that. It breathed fresh life into the dreams that had gone bust in the late 90's. Dreams of connectivity and instant access. But alongside the same positive explosion in data availability, I also witnessed the continued, shared failures of the public and private spheres to get people to act in a timely and informed way in response to natural disasters like Charley, Frances, Jeanne, and of course Katrina.

I saw a huge opportunity for us to tie together the data readily available with consumer-friendly views into that data to help inspire people to protect their homes, their families, and yes, several years later, their supply chains.

ISCPO: Tell us a challenge you see facing many professionals in the industry today and how your product/service helps to solve this issue?

We're in the business of making retailers and manufacturers stronger in the way they move freight and protect their most valuable assets. For the most part, the systems that transact in this space are from the pre-smartphone era. They're not smart. They just take orders and help a shipper execute them. That's helpful but it's a long way from smart. Riskpulse offers a cloud-based service that is a small dose of artificial intelligence applied to your entire supply chain.

Read more here.

The Future is Facial Recognition
ONCE PRIVACY AND SECURITY CONCERNS AND KINKS IN THE TECHNOLOGY ARE OVERCOME, FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE RETAIL.

Facial recognition isn't a brand-new technology. Casinos and law enforcement, for example, have been using facial recognition for safety and security purposes for years. And while facial recognition isn't new to the retail industry either, it is being leveraged outside loss prevention as a beneficial way to improve customer engagement, marketing, advertising, and more. Privacy concerns are hefty, and, as a result, some retailers are gun-shy about incorporating facial recognition into their businesses, while some others don't know what they don't know about the technology. Yet, international acceptance is escalating quickly; MarketsandMarkets estimates sales of facial recognition software and equipment were $2.8 billion worldwide last year and forecasts they will increase to $6.19 billion by 2020. Rest assured, the technology is gaining steam domestically by the day. Just ask Apple.

From a customer experience perspective, imagine being able to pick your customer out of a crowd. Imagine being able to determine whether your customer is happy, sad, confused, etc. Retailers can use facial recognition technology to identify how many people enter the store as well as their age, ethnicity, and gender, allowing them to better understand foot traffic in order to serve appropriate offers to those customers. This technology provides a unique way to connect with the customer, yet customer identities are kept anonymous. Indeed, facial recognition allows retailers to improve the customer experience in new ways, as emotions drive spending and loyalty.

Skeptics exist, however, as some retailers aren't sold on the idea that such technology will help associates better identify customers' needs simply by receiving a digital notice of their facial expressions. And their concerned customers may view this as an invasion of privacy. losspreventioninsights.com

From a safety and security perspective, how can facial recognition technology help the retail organization?
A: ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME, SHOPLIFTING, AND IN-STORE FRAUD are areas where facial recognition have shown positive results in those who have tested and implemented this technology. Side benefits have included time savings in following known shoplifters and reducing violence during apprehension. As this technology improves and costs decrease, the expectation is that more retailers will start to explore the benefits of facial recognition technology.

DAVID JOHNSTON - Currently the senior director of loss prevention and corporate security for Dunkin' Brands, Inc., David Johnston also serves on the NRF Loss Prevention Advisory Council and is a recent past president of the RLPSA.

Chinese start-ups pushing facial recognition technology into the mainstream
China's goal of becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) is nowhere more manifested than in how facial recognition technology has become a part of daily life in the world's second-largest economy.

Facial recognition systems, which are biometric computer applications that automatically identify an individual from a database of digital images, are now being used extensively in areas such as public security, financial services, transport and retail across the country.

The global facial recognition market is forecast to be worth US$6.5 billion by 2021, up from US$2.3 billion in 2016, according to the latest estimates from research company Technavio.

A number of Chinese companies have already staked a claim into this growing market, where their products and services are used by organisations in both the public and commercial sectors. scmp.com

Amazon wristbands could track workers' hand movements
'Employers are increasingly treating their employees like robots'
As Amazon continues its quest to shrink delivery times and add warehouses in Illinois, the e-commerce behemoth is eyeing technology that could track the movements of its workers' hands as they fulfill orders.

The company recently won patents for wristbands that could be used as part of an inventory system, communicating with equipment in warehouses and nudging employees via vibrations if, for example, they were about to place items in the wrong bins. But in a world where the legal limits on gathering and using people's data remain largely undefined, use of such devices could quickly turn nefarious, some experts say.

The concerns tied to such a device range from the potential for discrimination to data security risks for the company's employees, which number more than 8,000 in the Chicago area.

Amazon waited almost two years for the patents to be approved, and it's unclear if it ever plans on deploying the technology in its warehouses. The company said it does not track or intend to track its employees' locations, but the concept still sends chills down the spines of the privacy-conscious. And if it doesn't, some experts say, it should. chicagotribune.com

Tech leaders sign charter to boost cybersecurity in business and government
At the Munich Security Conference on Friday, major tech leaders came together to sign a cybersecurity charter outlining methods for businesses and governments to increase their security stance.

The Charter of Trust was signed by representatives from Siemens, Airbus, Allianz, Daimler Group, IBM, MSC, NXP, SGS, and Deutsche Telekom. The goal, according to the charter's website, is to increase trust in technology among individuals and organizations to boost efforts in digital transformation. techrepublic.com

Beyond chatbots: 3 ways AI will revolutionize the grocery industry

Big coup for J. Crew as it nabs digital star from Starbucks

How to Make Google Alerts Work For You

Do you read the news daily? If you want to get the most up to date news try google alerts. You can set up an alert for just about anything. For example you can set up an alert for your company name + shoplift. Once the alert is set up you can get the news directly sent to your inbox. It's free and easy to set up. Go to google.com/alerts to get started.

Montblanc Wins $32M Default Judgment Against Online Counterfeiter
A Virginia federal judge has awarded Montblanc-Simplo GmbH $32.15 million in its suit alleging a website operator violated trademark laws by selling counterfeit Montblanc products, granting default judgment to the German luxury goods company after the accused web user never responded to the complaint.

Miroslav Ilnitskiy, identified after Montblanc's investigator purchased counterfeit products through montblancua.com, was fined $2 million in Monday's order for each of the 16 instances Montblanc identified as trademark violations under the Anticounterfeiting Consumer Protection Act, as well as an additional $150,000 for violations of the Copyright Act. law360.com

Money Laundering Via Author Impersonation on Amazon?
Patrick Reames had no idea why Amazon.com sent him a 1099 form saying he'd made almost $24,000 selling books via Createspace, the company's on-demand publishing arm. That is, until he searched the site for his name and discovered someone has been using it to peddle a $555 book that's full of nothing but gibberish.

Reames said he suspects someone has been buying the book using stolen credit and/or debit cards, and pocketing the 60 percent that Amazon gives to authors. At $555 a pop, it would only take approximately 70 sales over three months to rack up the earnings that Amazon said he made. krebsonsecurity.com

eBay Plans New Augmented Reality Features
eCommerce marketplace eBay will add new augmented reality (AR) features this year to make shopping on its site more engaging. As a result, the auction site is at work on a new AR kit, Fortune reported.

With the kit, eBay could let shoppers see how something would look - like a set of new tires on a car - before bidding on or buying an item. It could also help sellers choose the right box size for an item by showing an image of a box over an item for sale. pymnts.com

How retailers can avoid having Google's Chrome browser block their ads
59.3% of all web sessions on average between desktops, tablets and smartphones are via the Chrome browser, according to NetMarketShare, which tracks 100 million web sessions per month at thousands of websites.

Google will remove all ads from sites that fail to meet the Coalition for Better Ads' standards for more than 30 days. Retailers can see if their sites are compliant with those standards using Google's Ad Experience Report tool.

While some of the ad experiences that violate the Better Ads Standards are problems with a retailer's ad, the majority of them-including high ad density or prestitial ads with countdown-are the fault of the site owner. That means retailers and brands need to be cognizant of where their ads appears and whether those sites comply with the new standards. digitalcommerce360.com

Mobile accounts for nearly 35% of 2017 e‑commerce sales

Retailers and other marketers shift their ad dollars online

Walmart online sales slip in fourth quarter

Benton, AR: Police looking for theft suspect who attacked Walmart employee with a baseball bat
A man and a woman walked out of the Benton Walmart on February 15th without paying for two baskets of items. When an employee confronted them, police say the man pulled a baseball bat from the cart and swung at the worker. He then punched the employee before leaving the store and driving off. katv.com



San Pablo, CA: Man suspected of Robbing an AutoZone last week, tricked by Police to showing up with the stolen goods
San Pablo Police news release, the unidentified male suspect was arrested on suspicion of robbing an AutoZone at gun point Thursday night. Investigators were able to track down the suspect's car, which led them to his phone number. An officer then called the man and asked to meet with him "Crazy enough the driver, AKA the suspect, agreed." "He met with officers while still having stolen property and money in his car." officer.com


St George, UT: 2 men low on cash after losing money in Vegas steal $3,000 in Walmart merchandise
Two men allegedly went on a retail shoplifting spree, stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from three Walmart stores, after reportedly losing their money in Las Vegas. Christian Ryan Johnson, 28, and Michael Graham Johnson, 30, both of Hemet, California, allegedly hit Walmart stores in Mesquite, Nevada, Bloomington and Washington City where they were subsequently caught and detained Wednesday. stgeorgeutah.com

Niles, IL: Suspects admits to Police she has done this before;
caught with $1000 of merchandise
Kenrodia Giles, 28, of Park Ridge, was charged with retail theft on Feb. 11 after police said he was accused of stealing nearly $1,000 worth of electronics from Walmart on West Golf Road. According to police, Giles admitted to committing similar thefts on several prior occasions. chicagotribune.com

Tarentum, PA: Frazer Police charge 3 in $1,500 theft from Walmart
at Pittsburgh Mills
A New Kensington man and two other people are accused of taking almost $1,500 worth of items from Walmart in the Pittsburgh Mills shopping complex. They are accused of taking a $759 computer, almost $200 worth of electric toothbrushes, a $128 trail camera and other items just before 6 p.m. Thursday and leaving in a black Dodge Charger. triblive.com

Shootings & Deaths

Lancaster, CA: Police Search for Gunman After Gas Station Cashier's Slaying
Police are looking for a killer after a cashier at a combination gasoline station and dairy drive-through was shot to death during a robbery in Lancaster. The shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. Monday on Division Street, according to LA County Sheriff's Det. Joe Mendoza. Police believe two men entered the store and at least one of them shot the cashier at least once in the upper abdomen before running away. The victim was 62 years old. abc7.com

East St. Louis, MO: Suspects arrested after 'shootout' at McDonald's with police
Two suspects in the shooting of a 51-year-old woman in her home early Sunday were apprehended a half hour later in the drive-thru of a McDonald's restaurant where they shot it out with cops. Dye said two East St. Louis men, 27-year-old Antoine Johnson and 32-year-old Branden Shannon were arrested. Johnson had been shot in the hip, police said. bnd.com

Stockton, CA: 28 year old man Shot & Killed outside Chevron Gas Station

Update: Taylor, MI: Woman sentenced in murder of co-worker at Burlington Coat Factory in Taylor; Waller Pleaded Guilty to 2nd degree Murder
A 49-year-old woman was sentenced Tuesday morning in the fatal shooting of her co-worker at the Burlington Coat Factory store in Taylor. Sandra Lynette Waller pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony firearms violation Feb. 2. The first-degree murder charge was dismissed.

The shooting happened Oct. 16, 2017, after a dispute between Waller and the victim, a co-worker, Lorraine Faison, inside the Burlington Coat Factory on Eureka Road. Faison's daughter called Waller a coward and called the murder senseless. The defense argued that Waller should not be charged with first-degree murder and said second-degree murder or manslaughter charges are more appropriate. clickondetroit.com

Houston, TX: Man gets 2 life sentences in connection to Brenham C-Store
Armed Robbery
A jury sentenced a Houston man to two life sentences in prison last week after convicting him of aggravated robbery and evading arrest with a vehicle. Morris Paul Green, 47, was charged along with three others for the robbery of a Brenham convenience store on Veterans Day in 2016. Prosecutors said Green and two other men ordered the store's customers on the ground and held the clerk at gunpoint while stealing approximately $30,000 from the store. theeagle.com

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All Career Levels Benefit with a Great Mentor
 

The Advantages of Mentoring in the Workplace
Mentoring in the workplace is invaluable for young employees looking to build their career or those who want to make leaps and bounds in their professional lives, but it also provides rewards for mentors and career coaches. Here's why you might want to be come a mentor. Reduce stress

The Best Mentors Teach Their Apprentices This 1 Crucial Lesson
Great mentors are hard to come by, so when you find one, use their advice and counsel to the fullest. How will you know when you've landed a great mentor and teacher? They teach their apprentices the most valuable lesson of all. Witness their work

5 Things Every Young Person Should Look for in a Mentor
Finding a mentor who can help you climb in your career can be difficult, and you might not know where you should start looking, especially if you're just starting out. If you're looking for someone to help guide you, here is what you should look for in a potential mentor. Growing pains

How the Right Mentors Can Help You Reach Your Goals and Be a Better Leader
Even leaders who have years of experience can benefit from having a mentor. They can give you the advice you need to hear, when you need to hear it. Here's how even good leaders can become great with a mentor. Truth tellers

Submit Your Group LP Selfie Today!

Making judgments on people is a serious thing and has a ripple effect that goes well beyond your immediate group. We all make judgments on every executive we know and it's human nature to be critical. Leave it to say that the best opinion is one of direct first-hand experience and is based on both sides of every story. It's easy to react to the self-serving opinions of others, but the real professional takes the high road and focuses on what's best for their organization, their team, and their industry.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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