Building Smarter, Safer Retail Stores
Designing Stores With Loss Prevention in Mind

By the D&D Daily staff

Store design has traditionally been driven by merchandising, branding and the customer experience. Increasingly, however, retailers are recognizing that involving loss prevention early in the design process can also improve operational efficiency, employee safety and inventory protection.

Many LP professionals now contribute long before a store opens or undergoes a remodel. Their input can help identify potential blind spots, improve visibility across the sales floor and ensure that high-value merchandise is displayed in locations that balance accessibility with appropriate oversight. Even seemingly small decisions—such as fixture height, aisle layout or the placement of service counters—can influence how effectively associates can monitor activity while assisting customers.

Back-of-house design also plays an important role. Receiving areas, stockrooms and employee entrances should support clear workflows while limiting unnecessary access to inventory. Well-planned storage areas, secure key and device management, and logical product flow can help reduce operational errors and improve accountability throughout the day.

Technology considerations are also becoming part of the conversation. As retailers incorporate more self-checkout, smart shelves, electronic article surveillance systems and video analytics, store layouts must accommodate both current needs and future technology upgrades. Designing with flexibility in mind can help retailers adapt as new solutions emerge.

The benefits extend beyond shrink reduction. Thoughtful store design can contribute to a safer workplace, simplify daily operations and create a better experience for both employees and customers. Wide sightlines can improve awareness during emergencies, while efficient layouts may reduce unnecessary travel for associates completing routine tasks such as replenishment or cycle counts.

The most effective retail environments are often the result of collaboration. When loss prevention, store operations, merchandising, facilities and construction teams are involved early in the planning process, potential challenges can be identified before they become costly to correct.

As retailers continue investing in new formats and remodels, designing stores with loss prevention in mind is becoming less about adding security features after construction and more about building resilience into the store from the very beginning.


The 'Retail Apocalypse' That Never Came
US e-commerce has surged, but a study suggests the 'retail apocalypse' has been overstated

Brick-and-mortar has been more resilient than predicted

For years, predictions about online shopping centered on a coming collapse of U.S. storefronts. Research on purchases of everyday essentials, however, suggests that brick-and-mortar retail proved much more resilient than those warnings implied.

Across about 900 product categories and over 40,000 brands, household behavior shifted as broadband adoption climbed 44%. Visits to specific brick-and-mortar stores fell 17%, and total yearly shopping trips dropped from 170 to 146, a decline of roughly 14%.

If the so-called retail apocalypse has been overstated, physical stores still play an important role in supporting jobs, maintaining neighborhood access to essentials, and contributing to the tax base many cities rely on.

Many households are shopping online more often, but they have not abandoned stores for many goods that are better to see in person. That means retailers still have room to compete with online shopping, if they do it in ways that separate them from their online counterparts.

For retailers, the study points more toward adaptation than retreat. Stores that combine digital convenience with dependable in-person service — through pickup options, easier returns, or stronger inventory for essentials — may be better positioned than businesses that assume malls and storefronts are simply doomed.

The researchers also noted that retailers could tailor their strategies to different shoppers — younger customers may respond to faster checkout and mobile-friendly features, while older shoppers could be interested in more personalized assistance and easier-to-use digital tools. thecooldown.com
 

Mall Traffic Up Across the Board
Placer.ai: Mall traffic grows with one format in the lead

The nation’s malls gained momentum in the first half of this year.

All three mall formats had year-over-year visit growth the first half of 2026, according to “The Mall Index” report from Placer.ai. Open-air shopping centers was the front runner, with visits up 4.7%, followed by indoor malls, up 1.9%, and outlet malls, up 1.0%.

Visits to indoor mall in June were up 1.2%, with open-air shopping center visits up 5.1% and outlet mall visits up 1.0% compared to June 2025. June's performance caps a strong first half of the year, noted Placer.ai, suggesting consumer demand for shopping centers remains strong heading into the second half of the year.

Captured market data suggests mall traffic gains are being driven by a broader mix of shoppers rather than just an increase in higher-income households — pointing to expanding consumer appeal despite a cautious spending environment, according to the report. chainstoreage.com


Iran War Heats Up Again
Gas prices climbing again as U.S.-Iran tensions flare
Fuel prices are headed back up amid renewed military clashes between the U.S. and Iran.

The national price of gasoline rose on Friday to $3.88 a gallon, up from $3.84 a week ago, according to AAA. In recent weeks, prices at the pump fell to as low as $3.80 on July 5, down from more than $4.50 in May, after Washington, D.C., and Tehran signed a temporary ceasefire last month.

The latest spasm of violence in the Middle East is reviving concerns that a prolonged conflict could disrupt trade through the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that handles roughly 20% of global energy flows. President Trump reiterated his stance on Friday that the ceasefire with Iran was "over" after less than three weeks, while noting that the U.S. would continue negotiating. cbsnews.com


Survey: Recommendations by podcast hosts influence consumer purchases

Circana: Office supplies market to hit $11.1 billion in 2026


Last week's #1 article --

NRF's VP of AP & Retail Operations Sets the Record Straight on CORCA
Opinion: Congress must ignore fearmongering and pass the ORC bill

By David Johnston, VP of Asset Protection & Retail Operations, NRF

The positive is that most agree organized retail crime is real. Where these opposing views fall short is mischaracterizing both the legislation and the criminal activity it addresses.

Over nearly 40 years, I have seen organized theft groups evolve, become more sophisticated and brazen, and exploit gaps between jurisdictions. I understand the impact these crimes have on retailers, employees, consumers and law enforcement. It is time to dispel the myths surrounding the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act and encourage the Senate to evaluate the bill based on facts, not fiction or fear.

The first myth is that the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act is about petty theft or federalizing shoplifting. It is not. Organized retail crime is not a teenager stealing a t-shirt or an individual acting out of desperation. Retailers and law enforcement have long handled local shoplifting through existing partnerships, recognizing the difference between theft driven by need and theft driven by greed. The bill targets only those orchestrating and directing large-scale theft operations, buying or fencing stolen goods and transporting or reselling them across state or national borders.

The legislation does not include the words “petty theft” or “shoplifting.” This bill is about criminal networks, not local shoplifters.

Another myth is that the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act is an unchecked surveillance bill. For decades, retailers and law enforcement have shared information tied to criminal investigations. That information typically includes evidence of theft, images supporting identification of suspects and data needed by law enforcement and prosecutors to pursue arrests and prosecutions. What is missing today is not surveillance authority but the ability to connect investigative information across cities, counties and states.  thehill.com