Halton Regional Police Service & The Gap Organized Retail Crime Team
Organized Retail Crime & Fraud Information Session
Thursday, June 16th, 2016
Mold-Masters Sportsplex Park, 221 Guelph Street, Georgetown
Together with Gap Inc., Organized Retail Crime Team, Halton Regional Police Service invites you to attend a seminar to learn more about how to create a safe and crime free environment for you and your customers. There is no charge to attend.

Bring your team to help everyone be aware of prevention strategies to protect you, your customers and your business from retail crime & fraud.

Registration is requested. For more information about this event please contact the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce 905-877-7119 or 647-544-7119

For information on this program please contact Sgt. Paul Harrower, Division 1, Community Mobilization Bureau - Phone: 905-825-4747 Email: paul.harrower@haltonpolice.ca haltonhillschamber.on.ca

Walmart piloting eliminating fitting rooms in locations in Quebec & the Maritimes
We are trialing the elimination of change rooms in some of our locations in Quebec and the Maritimes in an effort to increase floor space," Anika Malik, Walmart's manager of corporate affairs, told CBC News in an email. If customers get home and don't like the clothes they bought, they can return or exchange them as always within 90 days.

The idea is, more floor space will mean more selection. This increased space allows us to offer a broader selection of clothing items and ultimately more choice for our customers," said Malik.

No word on how long the trial will last, and whether the rooms will ever come back.

Editor's Note: Did security play a role in this? And what about returns without a receipt? This could cause some issues. cbc.ca

Halifax-area convenience store robberies have declined over 10 years
Halifax Regional Police logged almost 200 convenience store robberies since 2006
Almost three-quarters of them involving a weapon or a threat of one, according to Halifax Regional Police report logs.

Fewer than half of convenience store robberies result in a criminal charge.

That "unsolvability" rate is mostly due to poor-quality video surveillance technology, according to Sgt. Kevin Murphy with Halifax's general investigative unit. Police see obsolete systems in both big chains and independent stores, he said. Sometimes they're not turned on at all.

Some of the other findings of the CBC analysis include:

• The most-robbed convenience stores are located on traffic arteries to out-lying parts of the city.
• Robberies are more likely when the sun's down.
• They're more likely when it's warm out.
• They tend to happen in areas of high vehicle and foot traffic.

Those who commit robberies are most likely armed - 71 per cent carried a firearm or other kind of weapon. Besides cash, cigarettes are a hot commodity.

"Cigarettes are almost a currency for some people," Murphy said, adding high prices and the difficulty tracing them, make cigarettes an ideal target. "They're easy to turn around in the black market." cbc.ca

Retail theft fuels underground market: RCMP
While everyone likes a good deal, those video games sold at flea markets might not be what they seem. Retail theft is feeding a thriving industry of selling stolen merchandise, Richmond RCMP said Wednesday.
Police said criminals are working alone or in groups, with specific "shopping" lists of products to steal. They use lookouts, counter-surveillance and scout out their locations in advance.

Some of the most popular items might surprise you, police said: razor blades, shampoo, beauty creams, toothbrushes, batteries, video games, movies/videos, bedding and small kitchen appliances.

Some of the products may be sold to rival retailers or openly through flea markets, police said, although many wind up being sold through places like Craigslist or Kijiji.

There is an economy that buys and sells stolen merchandise," said Cpl. Dennis Hwang. "It is definitely not a victimless crime. We are trying to provide people with some extra knowledge in this area in order to help them make informed decisions. Be smart when shopping for items - especially if the seller has multiple items that are new and in original packaging without corresponding receipts." vancouversun.com

Retail sales slide 1% in March
Sales at furniture and home furnishing stores were down, along with gas station sales. On the upside, sales at clothing and accessories stores rose 0.8 per cent. cbc.ca

Lowe's plans 'strategy of growth' with Rona takeover: CEO
That growth is expected to come on two fronts: The chain of 539 stores across Canada will grow, as will their online business. There are no plans to open or rebrand any Rona stores as Lowe's and the company's head office will remain in Boucherville. ctvnews.ca

In-store Hanky Panky - Caught Red Handed & Red Faced
Wind Mobile store police standoff during bizarre incident in Vancouver
Vancouver police say there will be no charges for those involved in a bizarre police incident after an inebriated, naked woman was spotted inside a Wind Mobile store on Robson Street last Friday afternoon.

Constable Brian Montague says the incident began shortly after noon Friday, May 20, when a would-be customer tried to enter the Wind Mobile store at Robson and Hamilton but found the door locked and noticed a woman's foot sticking out from behind the counter.

When police arrived they didn't want to open the door.

"The strange set of circumstances, the suspicious nature of the circumstances and what our officers were seeing triggered a pretty large police response," he said.

Eventually two men were taken into custody while the woman was taken to hospital.

"I won't go into detail about what the video showed us," he said, but did add that "everything that was going on was consensual." Montague says one of the three people involved was a store employee. He says there was no evidence to support criminal charges but chided the individuals involved. cbc.ca

Ikea Canada is Booming - up 15% over last 8 months

Mezzi Plans 25 Pop-Up Shops

Montreal-based women's fashion retailer Maska Mode expanding Canadian stores

Canadian Tire rolling out Home Delivery to millions of customers across Canada

Canada Goose opening retail stores as it expands marketing strategy