It's 'Gatekeeper Week' on the D&D Daily! Follow along in the 'Vendor Spotlight' column below as Gatekeeper showcases LP/AP solutions for the retail industry

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Accio Data and Intellicheck Partner to Advance Employment Background Screening Process

MELVILLE, N Y - December 10, 2024 - Accio Data, the background screening industry's leading enterprise platform provider, and Intellicheck, Inc., an industry-leading identity company delivering on-demand digital and physical identification validation solutions, today announced a strategic partnership to streamline background screening benefitting employers and prospective employees.

Accio Data has integrated Intellicheck's identity validation technology into its state-of-the-art background screening enterprise platform allowing Accio Data clients to effectively validate job seeker applicants' identity documents with unsurpassed accuracy and speed.

Read more here
 

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

Gen Z Retail Workers Most at Risk of Workplace Violence
Retail Violence Is On The Rise-Why Gen Z Workers Are The Most At Risk
Have you noticed lately that people are becoming at work being more aggressive, less patient and well - mean? If you have - you're not alone - especially at work. Workplace violence is a pervasive issues across North America, impacting up to 75% of workers over time and across all industries - and Gen Z workers in retail are at the most risk.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that workplace-related violence is the third-leading cause of fatal workplace injuries in the U.S., with 761 intentional fatalities reported in 2019. Although we often think of violence as a physical assault, OSHA defines workplace violence as "any workplace act that threatens or harms someone with physical violence, verbal abuse, intimidation, harassment, or other disruptive or harmful behavior."

These actions are deliberate acts of mistreatment that go beyond incivility are designed to cause harm intentionally, including serious assaults. As well workplace violence encompasses a range of behaviors like verbal insults, social exclusion, work sabotage, psychological abuse, and even physical aggression or sexual misconduct. These actions not only harm an individual's physical and mental health but also have detrimental effects on organizational well-being.

The retail sector, where Gen Z's comprise the backbone of the workforce, appears to be the emerging epicentre of an escalating crisis for workplace violence, according to Traliant's recently released Workplace Violence Prevention Pulse Survey. The survey included over 500 full-time U.S. retail reveals alarming findings about Gen Z workers, with 1 in 4 affected by workplace violence and a notable distrust in organizational systems designed to address these issues, according to Elissa Rossi, VP of Compliance Services at Traliant.

The Need For Anonymity Reveals a Trust Gap

Traliant's research shows that nearly half (49%) of retail workers would only report workplace violence if they could remain anonymous. This points to an alarming mistrust in the employer's ability to handle reports effectively and without retaliation, which supports research published by the Workplace Bullying Institute in 2021, indicated that of those reporting workplace violence, 67% are at risk of losing their job.

"Employees worry their concerns won't lead to action or that they'll face retaliation," Rossi explains. For Gen Z, this fear is compounded by their lack of workplace experience and exposure to successful reporting outcomes. The solution begins with anonymous reporting channels, but Rossi says this is the first step. "Employers need to communicate that concerns are taken seriously by regularly sharing how incidents are addressed and resolved," she notes. Leaders can play an essential role by fostering trust through open conversations about workplace safety. forbes.com


Both Stores & Customers Feeling the Pain of ORC
PDs increase retail patrols ahead of holiday shopping surge

FOX13 Investigates: How organized retail crime costs you
Thieves loading up a car full of stolen goods, rolling out past the cash registers and speeding off without paying a dime - it's a scene you've seen on the news time and time again. But these brazen burglaries don't just take money out of the pockets of store owners. Those costs often get passed down to you, the consumer.

Harris and her family have nine grocery stores in the Memphis area, and all have fallen victim to increased shoplifting and burglary. The loss has become so great, Harris said it's become an element that needs to be factored into the Superlo yearly budget.

"So if we're looking at a three, four, or five percent shrink just because of theft, we have to find a way to make that up because grocery stores are just, you know, we're only at 1-2 percent on the bottom line," Harris said.

Harris didn't provide exact figures on how much the company has lost due to theft, but Lt. Kenny Roberson with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) said retail theft is a multi-million dollar a year business.

An undercover member of the BRAT Unit who spoke with FOX13 said retail theft comes in many different forms, with burglars young and old and with varying levels of organization. As the holiday season sets in and buying ramps up, SCSO and other law enforcement agencies are once again launching Operation Jingle Bells, a targeted effort to increase patrols in high-traffic shopping areas like the Wolfchase Mall.  fox13memphis.com


Here Are the 10 Most Shoplifted Items from Walmart in Michigan

Number of mass shootings in the U.S. between 1982 and September 2024
 

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Over Half of Luxury Brand Employees Plan to Ditch Jobs
Luxury Brands Face Retail Labor Crisis As 51% Of Employees Plan To Leave Jobs
A global survey among 12,000 retail employees working for 12 luxury brands found widespread luxury retail employee dissatisfaction. A staggering 51% plan to leave their current employer in search of opportunities where they have greater agency, feel more highly valued and have improved work-life balance, according to consultancy CXG.

Ultimately, the luxury customer experience (CX) is inextricably tied to the employee experience (EX). A dissatisfied employee inevitably leads to a dissatisfied customer.

The CXG research suggests luxury brands are failing at the second one and they'd better fix it before it starts showing up at the customer experience level, or perhaps it already has, since Bain reports the luxury goods market contracted 2% this year, the first time since 2008.

Perhaps the dissatisfactions luxury retail employees feel is caused by their employers placing a greater emphasis on the quantifiable hard skills and undervaluing the immeasurable soft skills.

Some 30% of the luxury employees surveyed are not happy in their day-to-day job. Only 38% feel they work in a motivating environment and fewer than one-third (31%) believe they have growth potential with their brand.

Over 40% feel a lack of empowerment in their jobs and 33% feel undervalued at work. And 61% feel their work-life needs greater balance. forbes.com


$25 Billion Kroger-Albertsons Merger Blocked
Federal judge blocks largest supermarket merger in history
A federal judge in Oregon blocked Kroger's proposed $25 billion tie-up with Albertsons, ruling that the largest merger in US supermarket history would limit competition and harm consumers.

The ruling is a major setback for the chains and puts the merger's likelihood in jeopardy. Neither company immediately commented following the ruling.

The merger, announced in 2022, sought to combine the fifth and tenth largest retailers in the country. The companies own dozens of grocery chains, including Safeway, Vons, Harris Teeter and Fred Meyer.

Supermarkets have been losing ground in recent decades to competition, and Kroger and Albertsons wanted to merge to better fight off Walmart and Amazon.

Kroger and Albertsons employ mostly unionized workforces and said they wanted to merge to be more competitive against non-union giants such as Walmart, Amazon and Costco. The grocers also face increased pressure from Aldi, the fast-growing German discount supermarket chain. cnn.com


Kroger Sued By Albertsons After Backing Out of $25B Merger
Albertsons says Kroger failed 'to adequately push for regulatory approval'

Albertsons Backs Out of Merger Deal and Sues Kroger After Court Rulings

The supermarket chain had tried to join forces with Kroger, but judges sided with federal and state regulators who charged that the merger would reduce competition.

The grocery chain Albertsons said on Wednesday that it had backed out of its $25 billion merger with Kroger and sued its rival for failing to adequately push for regulatory approval, after both a federal and state judge blocked the deal on Tuesday.

The deal, which would have been the biggest grocery store merger in U.S. history, faced three separate legal challenges - one filed by the Federal Trade Commission - over concerns that the combined company would reduce competition and raise prices. Judge Adrienne Nelson of U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon temporarily halted the deal on Tuesday, siding with federal regulators who have argued that the merger would lessen competition at the expense of consumers and workers.

Another decision blocking the merger in Washington State court, issued by Judge Marshall Ferguson just one hour later, added to the hurdles facing the companies.

"Given the recent federal and state court decisions to block our proposed merger with Kroger, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the merger agreement," Vivek Sankaran, chief executive of Albertsons, said in a statement. "We are deeply disappointed in the courts' decisions." nytimes.com


Walgreens Sale Coming?
Walgreens Is in Talks to Sell Itself to Private-Equity Firm Sycamore Partners

Deal would cap tumultuous run for retailer whose market value shrank from a peak of over $100 billion to below $8 billion

Walgreens is in talks to sell itself to a private-equity firm in a deal that would take the pharmacy chain off the public market after its shares have been on a downward slide for nearly a decade.

Walgreens Boots Alliance and Sycamore Partners have been discussing a deal that could be completed early next year, assuming talks don't fall apart, according to people familiar with the matter.

Walgreens's market value reached a peak of over $100 billion in 2015 but has since shrunk to around $7.5 billion. Mounting pressures on both its pharmacy and retail businesses have helped send its shares down nearly 70% so far this year. wsj.com
 

'Tsunami' of Walgreens Closures Begins
Walgreens closed 58 stores across U.S. in November
The tsunami of some 1,200 Walgreens store closures planned for the next three years has begun with 58 locations shuttering in November, according to the Supermarket News' monthly store map.

For the month of November, Scrapehero.com recorded 124 store openings and 132 store closings.

It's been a rough year for Walgreens, which announced plans to close 1,200 stores during a quarterly earnings call in October. Five-hundred stores are expected to close in 2025. finance.yahoo.com


Reebok undergoes layoffs tied to footwear business

Under new ownership, Lord & Taylor revives old logo and comeback dreams
 

Will Cyber Attackers Have an Easier Time in 2025?
Credit risk rising as attackers strike larger companies: Moody's

Cybercriminals are deploying generative AI tools in their efforts at ransomware and fraud, Moody's Ratings said.

Credit risk will probably rise in 2025 as attackers evade defenses with AI and increasingly target large companies with the resources to pay high ransoms, Moody's Ratings said Monday.

"In response to declining revenue per victim, attackers are seeking to wring greater returns from their attacks by demanding higher ransoms," Moody's said in a report. "We believe they are accomplishing this by targeting larger businesses that can afford higher ransom payments, and we expect this to increase cyber risk for Moody's rated debt issuers."

Cybercriminals in 2025 may confront weaker opposition from the Trump administration, which is likely to soften cyber-defense regulations, Moody's said.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received a record 880,418 reports from the public last year - a nearly 10% increase compared with 2022 - with estimated losses exceeding $12.5 billion, the law enforcement agency said. Just a fraction of such crimes are reported, the FBI said.

The number of reported ransomware attacks by the U.S. public rose 18% last year to 2,825, with losses surging 74%, the FBI said. cybersecuritydive.com
 

'Comprehensive Cybersecurity Assessments'
Strengthening security posture with comprehensive cybersecurity assessments
In this Help Net Security interview, Phani Dasari, CISO at HGS, discusses key aspects of cybersecurity assessments, including effective tools and methodologies, the role of AI and automation, and strategies for aligning assessments with organizational needs.

What are some of the most effective tools or methodologies used in cybersecurity assessments?

Cybersecurity assessments can leverage frameworks, standards, or tools depending on the organization's needs and risk profile. Framework-based assessments, such as those using NIST CSF, ISO 27001, or HIPAA, offer structured methodologies for comprehensive risk management and compliance. Standards-based assessments ensure alignment with industry-specific requirements. Tool-based assessments utilize specialized technologies to address specific vulnerabilities, such as vulnerability scanning tools to detect weaknesses and misconfigurations or penetration testing tools to simulate real-world cyberattacks and uncover vulnerabilities.

Threat modeling tools are invaluable for visualizing potential attack paths and preemptively addressing risks. While framework and standards-based assessments should be tailored to an organization's specific requirements, tool-based assessments can often be applied universally across diverse environments to enhance security postures effectively.

How should companies decide which tools to use based on their industry and risk profile?

Tool selection in cybersecurity assessments is intrinsically tied to an organization's goals and regulatory requirements. For instance, healthcare organizations should focus on tools and frameworks that ensure HIPAA compliance and protect patient data, while financial institutions must emphasize Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance and the safeguarding of sensitive financial information.

High-risk organizations typically require advanced threat detection and robust security controls, whereas lower-risk organizations may concentrate on basic vulnerability scanning and awareness training. Furthermore, organizations should align their tool choices with their internal expertise, selecting solutions that complement their team's capabilities. When in-house expertise is lacking, seeking assistance from experienced partners or vendors can ensure the adoption of effective and suitable tools for their security needs. helpnetsecurity.com


The End of Single-Factor Authentication
Snowflake to phase out single-factor authentication by late 2025

The security policy change starts one year after a wave of attacks targeted more than 100 Snowflake customer environments without MFA.

Snowflake will block and no longer allow customers to access their Snowflake environments using single-factor authentication passwords by November 2025, the company said earlier this month.

The policy change will take effect in phases, impacting sign-ins for account containers, user objects, human users and service users over an eight-month period starting in April 2025. Snowflake declined to answer questions about customer multifactor authentication adoption or how many customers currently access their environments with single-factor authentication. cybersecuritydive.com


Preventing data leakage in low-node/no-code environments

US subsidiary of global water treatment firm probes November cyberattack after data encrypted