Erin Edwards was named Vice President of Sales for Universal Surveillance Systems. Before joining with USS, Erin spent almost 10 years with Celluphone, Inc. as the Senior Director of Sales and Operations. Before that she spent a year at Wingcast as the Director of Marketing, Pricing. Prior to Wingcast, Erin spent just over eight years at Verizon Wireless as the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis. For more on Erin, scroll down to check out USS's Vendor Spotlight. Congrats Erin!

A new study finds Wal-Mart store prices are cheaper than online prices. The study selected 36 national-brand items from edible grocery, non-edible grocery, HBC and general merchandise and found that the supercenters had lowest overall prices. Walmart.com was actually priced 7% higher overall, although general merchandise was least expensive. Amazon was priced 20.5% higher but was lower than Walmart.com in the non-edible grocery category by 12.2% (source supermarketnews.com)

Kroger’s Q1 Sales Gains Buck Trend The retailer here summarily increased its earnings guidance for the year, and said it had authorized a $1 billion stock buyback. Sales increased 5.8% to $29.1 billion. David Dillon, chief executive officer, said uncertainty remained even among wealthier shoppers who otherwise are exhibiting behavior indicating the recession was over. Things remain difficult for lower income shoppers, he added. "Overriding all of that is the fact that if you look just generally at the geopolitical world right now people are a little bit nervous and so there’s a bit of anxiety out there on the whole that kind of dampens the enthusiasm even for those on the high end." (source supermarketnews.com)

Amazon's Kindle Fire to expand beyond the US? In a press release today, Amazon said developers can start submitting apps for its international Appstore. The international Appstore will launch later this year, starting in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. With the prospect of Amazon's app store launch comes the hope that the firm is ready to roll out international distribution of the Kindle Fire. (source digitalspy.com)

Children's Place loses COO who joined in May 2011, after spending eight years with Gap Inc. The company said that comparable-store sales for the most recent quarter declined 2.7%, and net sales were up only slightly (0.9%) to $457.5 million from $453.2 million for the 4th quarter of 2010. (source retailingtoday.com)

Rite Aid to pay $20.9M in overtime lawsuit settlement. The company will pay up to $20.9 million to settle allegations it misclassified assistant store managers and co-managers as exempt employees in order to avoid paying them overtime, the midstate-based pharmacy chain said Tuesday. The settlement resolves 15 lawsuits and allegations dating to 2002. It covers more than 6,000 current and former employees in PA and 39 other states. They are based in Cumberland County and are the nation's third-largest drugstore chain. (source centralpennbusiness.com)

Retail identified as one of the four most valuable market sectors for RFID. RFID implementations increased by $900 million in 2011 and are expected to grow 20% annually, year-over-year, according to recent predictions from ABI Research. The global RFID market will generate $70.5 billion from 2012 to 2017. RFID is starting to emerge globally as well. For example, in Russia, RFID has been implemented for the first time by a footwear retailer. (source retailtouchpoints.com)

The Electronics Retailers that hope to survive must change. Best Buy is closing 50 of its big-box stores, and its sales at stores open at least one year are falling. After Best Buy announced the locations it was closing, Walmart began running ads with this message "Did your local Best Buy just close? We have the top brands and low prices." Sales at physical electronics stores have declined an average of 2.6% a year over the last five years, according to the market research firm IbisWorld. Sales of electronics online have risen an average of 14.7% a year in that period. Chains like Circuit City and CompUSA have collapsed under the pressure. Best Buy is scrambling to reinvent itself with better e-commerce, smaller stores and a wider array of products. (source yahoo.com)



Boston police recover over $1 million in stolen goods. The items were all taken by one suspect who is connected to over 200 break-ins at high-end apartment buildings. Some of the items, such as purses, were worth as much as $10,000 each. Police also arrested a jewelry store owner who had about $250K worth of stolen property from the alleged robberies. (source whdh.com)




Florida State coach suspended infielder indefinitely Tuesday after the freshman was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting. The suspension was announced a few hours before the Seminoles faced UCLA in the College World Series. The prosecutor said security personnel spotted the 19-year-old changing the price tag on merchandise and attempted to purchase $32 athletic shorts with a price tag that had been attached to a $19.99 clearance item. (source sfgate.com)

Walmart shoplifting caper foiled in Massachusetts. A Georgia man’s plan to steal more than $16k in electronics from Walmart by wrapping the items in aluminum foil and walking past the anti-shoplifting scanners was foiled by overhead surveillance cameras, police said. Store security noticed the suspect inside the store acting suspiciously. They watched him carry items from the electronics section and then stash it in area of the store where luggage is displayed. Then he left but security maintained a close eye on the luggage area. The suspect returned and wrapped the items in aluminum foil and hid them in his pants. (source masslive.com)



Shoplifters beware, someone's watching. For the past three months, the Coolidge Police Department has been posting photos on their website of people suspected of participating in shoplifting from local vendors. "Photos add to effectiveness," Cmdr. Jim Malinski said. "Most are local or close to local. Someone knows them. Generally, it’s not people passing through town." Anyone who helps identify the photos may be eligible for cash rewards.  (source trivalleycentral.com)





Two police officers just outside of Detroit shot and killed a man suspected of shoplifting after police say he tried to run over the officers as he fled from the Woodhaven Walmart. Loss prevention officers called police to the Walmart as the man and a woman left the store. When the Police officers arrived, the suspect confronted them with a screwdriver and then tried to drive off in a stolen car. According to the department's release, "Suspect put the vehicle in reverse and attempted to run over the officer, at which time he struck a patrol unit. The suspect then put the vehicle in drive, attempting to run over a second officer. At this point, officers fired their weapons to stop the assault." (source freep.com) (source myfoxdetroit.com)
 

Checkpoint Systems’ CheckView Introduces Retail Covert Kit in a Portable Solution Retail Covert Kit Partners Include Axis Communications, Next Level Security Systems NEW ORLEANS — June 20, 2012 -- CheckView, a business unit of Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (NYSE:CKP), today introduced here at National Retail Federation’s annual Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO its Retail Covert Kit. According to Darren Nicholson, vice president and general manager, CheckView, "The Retail Covert Kit is a complete IP-based surveillance system that offers an all-in-one, easily hidden surveillance solution with the ability to integrate devices and business analytics. To offer the best solution, we assembled the kit with key components from Axis Communications and Next Level Security Systems. Everything retailers need to install a covert video system is contained in one, portable case." With no additional hardware or software to purchase, it is easy to install yet provides an innovative security solution that leverages the power of the network. Its browser-based interface offers instant access to video from most Web browsers and its built-in video analytics enables users to maximize their surveillance footage. Moreover, the Retail Covert Kit is built around a unified security platform with integrated access control and video management, which includes video intelligence and intrusion capabilities. Based on open standards, the system is compatible with other security technologies such as IP-based door controls and other surveillance cameras. Retail Covert Kit benefits include the following: • Discreet portable surveillance wherever retailers need it. • Easy-to-install powerful security management platform with IP video and laptop network interface. • Investigations optimized with on-board video analytics and forensic analytics for enhancing situational management. • Open architecture of unified platform allows for easy system expansion. • No licensing fees required for software or edge devices. Kit Components The one-channel AXIS M7001 Video Encoder offers a compact design with superb H.264 performance, and its small form factor is ideal for use in discreet surveillance applications. It provides an easy and cost-effective solution for integrating analog CCTV cameras into an IP-based video surveillance system, including the covert camera used for this kit. The video encoder can feed power to the small analog covert snake camera that is provided, with additional options for VGA, HD-megapixel and PTZ cameras available. The NLSS Gateway is a unified security management platform that integrates networked video management, IP access control, video analytics and intrusion. Its consolidated user interface, unique video search tools and simplified export of video evidence allow retailers to make more informed decisions. A hosted service allows security teams to manage its security systems from anywhere at any time. "On top of high-image quality, there are three technology features that are highly valued in the loss prevention world: video intelligence, sleek or covert design, and the ability to move a camera to where you need it, when you need it," said Hedgie Bartol, business development manager, Retail, Axis Communications. "CheckView’s new covert kit leverages the power of IP to deliver each of these features to retail customers while laying the foundation for full migration to IP video." "The addition of the NLSS Gateway to the Retail Covert Kit from CheckView provides retailers with access to streamlined security management functionality to best control shrink, limit liability and speed up investigations," said Jumbi Edulbehram, vice president of Business Development, Next Level Security Systems. "The combination of IP video management, video analytics and cloud-based services into one package allows loss prevention teams to tap into a cost-effective, secure system that is proven to limit loss and delivers immediate cost savings." The Retail Covert Kit can be seen at Booth #901 at NRF and is available immediately from CheckView. Press Contact: George Cohen President, GCC Inc. 617-325-0011 george@gccpr.com