Retail Theft Drops 12% in NYC
Following Crack Down on Organized Retail Theft, Governor Hochul Announces Reduction in Retail Theft in New York City

Following Post-Pandemic Spike, Retail Theft Has Declined More Than 12% Year Over Year in New York City, Down 5% Outside New York City

Following a spike in organized retail theft in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Hochul announced new measures to crack down on these crimes that included over $40 million to support targeted law enforcement initiatives, stronger laws to hold perpetrators accountable, and new protections for frontline retail workers.

Today, New Yorkers are seeing results from this comprehensive approach with retail theft declining more than 12 percent year over year — a decrease of nearly 5,000 instances — in New York City and 5 percent across the rest of the state.

Crime data shows a significant spike in retail theft crimes immediately following the pandemic in 2022 as business operations began returning to normal. To combat this spike, as part of the FY2025 State Budget, Governor Hochul signed into law initiatives to deter crime and protect businesses. These included:

• Bolstering criminal penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker by elevating it from a misdemeanor to felony.

• Allowing prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when they file larceny charges and allowing retail goods from different stores to be aggregated for the purposes of reaching a higher larceny threshold when stolen under the same criminal scheme.

• Making it illegal to foster the sale of stolen goods to go after third-party sellers. A person will be found guilty if they use any website or physical location to sell stolen goods.

• $40.2 million for dedicated Retail Theft Teams within State Police, District Attorneys’ offices and local law enforcement, including 100 New York State Police personnel dedicated to fighting organized retail theft.

• $5 million allocated to help alleviate the burden on small businesses for additional security measures. Funding provides a $3,000 tax credit for any small businesses who spend the threshold amount of money on retail theft prevention measures.

Following Governor Hochul’s recent investments, New York State is now on track to see retail theft crimes drop to pre-peak levels. Additionally, New York City has seen a more than four percent reduction in index crime and an 11 percent drop in felony robberies. Shootings in New York City are down nearly 20 percent while murders are down 21 percent. governor.ny.gov


Retail Staff Facing Increased Violence
Australia: Coles says threats to staff are still rising in Victoria
Coles chief executive Leah Weckert says incidents of staff being threatened in its stores are increasing in Victoria, despite the supermarket giant upgrading security to combat theft and rising crime.

She said an increased investment in technology to fight theft – including high-tech goods scanners and artificial intelligence-powered gates at some stores – had succeeded in lowering the rates of shoplifting. But staff safety was still an issue of concern, especially in Victoria.

“Despite all the investments that we’ve made in the loss technology, despite the investment that we’ve made in safety initiatives for our team, we are continuing to see increases in threatening situations in store,” Weckert said on an earnings call on Tuesday. “And it is definitely the case that in Victoria, retail crime is escalating more than what we are seeing in other states.”

Coles was forced to act fast after theft and loss skyrocketed in calendar 2023, hurting profits. It rolled out new technologies to reduce losses, such as AI-powered smart gates at the front of the store and skip-scan monitoring. Other measures included an expanded CCTV network, body cameras for staff and trolley lock technology to prevent items leaving stores unpaid.

“We have definitely seen reductions in loss and theft across our network because of the investment that we’ve made in technology,” Weckert said.

Retailers have warned during this month’s earnings season that crime in Victoria has soared to an extent that it is posing risks to staff, driving away potential recruits and hitting their bottom lines.

Endeavour said on Monday it had experienced rising crime at its bottle shop chains Dan Murphy’s and BWS, and that it had beefed up security at certain shops in Victoria, where crime and violent incidents by organised criminals were more common than in other states.  afr.com

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Armed Guards Checking Receipts & Facing Backlash
New receipt check policy sparks fury at popular Kroger-owned chain as armed guards stand at exits to stop every shopper

Experts say the armed guards are necessary to protect the staff

A Kroger-owned store has begun requiring customers to have their receipts checked as they exit, and now shoppers will need to pass through armed security guards.

King Soopers, a supermarket chain in Colorado, now has a security guard wearing a neon vest and holster that appears to be holding a weapon, who checks customers' receipts.

“It just doesn't make sense to have someone armed like that intimidating customers on their way out,” shopper Pilar Chapa told NBC affiliate KUSA.

According to Chapa, the guard used to stand in front of the in-store Starbucks, but has since moved to the store entrance.

“The security guards have their backs to the entrance. They have no idea who is coming in,” Chapa said.

The supermarket did put up signs warning shoppers about the receipt check, but a spokesperson for King Soopers did not answer questions about whether the guard is armed with a lethal weapon.

They also did not elaborate on the consequences of not showing a receipt upon exit.  the-sun.com


No Murders for 12 Days in D.C.
Trump’s executive orders target DC crime as city hits 12 days without a homicide

D.C. marks 12 days without a homicide as arrests top 1,000.

Arrests under President Donald Trump’s federal crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., topped 1,000 on Monday, as the city marked its 12th consecutive day without a homicide and the White House rolled out new executive orders targeting local crime and bail reform.

"Last night in DC: 86 arrests. 10 illegal guns seized," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro posted on X. "That brings the total to 1007 arrests and 111 illegal guns off the streets."

At a White House signing ceremony, Trump issued several executive orders, including one directing law enforcement in the District to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them in federal custody, bypassing the city’s cashless bail system. Another order threatens to cut federal funding to jurisdictions nationwide that continue to allow cashless bail.

The latest moves come as National Guard troops deployed in the city have been authorized to carry firearms. Some have already been seen armed while patrolling high-crime areas. fox5dc.com


NJ: There have been zero homicides in Bergen County in 2025: What it means

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What Retailers Can Learn from Taylor Swift
From Stadiums to Stores: How Taylor Swift Shows the Retail Power of Pop Culture

By the D&D Daily staff

Taylor Swift has been dominating headlines for her record-breaking tour and album releases, but her impact extends well beyond music. For retailers, her success underscores the growing importance of cultural events in shaping consumer behavior and driving economic activity.

The “Eras Tour” alone has been credited with generating billions in local spending across North America. Cities hosting her concerts saw surges in retail activity, with hotels, restaurants, and local shops reporting record-breaking weekends. In Minneapolis, for example, officials noted that Swift’s two-night stay produced an economic impact similar to hosting a major sporting event.

Retailers have also benefited directly from her merchandise strategy. Swift’s limited-edition drops, often tied to specific albums or events, sell out within hours. By leaning into scarcity and exclusivity, she has built a model that mirrors the tactics many retailers now use: smaller, more frequent releases designed to generate urgency among consumers.

Her fanbase — often referred to as “Swifties” — also demonstrates the power of community-driven consumer behavior. Fans are not just buying merchandise; they are coordinating themed outfits, organizing meetups, and flooding social media with content that doubles as free promotion. For retailers, the lesson is clear: tapping into communities built around identity and shared passion can translate into significant sales growth.

Swift’s brand partnerships further highlight the appeal of working with high-profile cultural figures. Companies that secure alignment with her are often rewarded with credibility and reach that few traditional campaigns can match. This reflects a broader trend of retailers becoming more selective about celebrity and influencer collaborations, prioritizing figures who offer both mass appeal and reputational safety.

As retailers look ahead to the holiday season, Swift’s example serves as a reminder that consumer spending is increasingly tied to cultural moments. Whether through exclusive product drops, event-driven promotions, or community engagement, retailers who can harness the energy of pop culture phenomena stand to benefit.


Business Boosting EHS Investments
EHS Investments Can Provide Business Benefit

75% of businesses to increase EHS initiatives over the next three years, finds new EY survey.

Initiatives in the EHS arena are a good way to quickly move information within an organization; however, without long-term strategies, companies are missing out on huge gains, according to the latest EY Global EHS Maturity Study.

The study, which draws on the insights of more than 500 global EHS professionals and C-suite leaders, examines the benefits of strategic investment in EHS — defined as any activities to mitigate risks relating to environmental issues such as pollution or climate change, or to promote the welfare and well-being of employees.

“It is easy to dismiss EHS initiatives as box-ticking exercises, or as ways to shore up risk defenses, but the reality is that, done well, EHS is a key that can unlock untold value for businesses, their stakeholders, and the planet as a whole," said Jessica Wollmuth, Americas Climate Change and Sustainability Services Deputy Leader in a statement.

“Get EHS right, and businesses can reap a host of commercial, operational and reputational gains," Wollmuth added. "But that means investing strategically and casting off the blinkers that often leave businesses stuck in the here and now, rather than looking to the future.”  ehstoday.com


Refreshing In-Store Tech
Will Renewed Retail Interest in Mobile POS Actually Stick Around This Time?
RFID — gaining momentum with proponents as the cost of the tech declines and consumer tastes align — and the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming holiday season were discussed at length, but the lead-in to the interview was largely centered around mobile POS solutions, and a renewed appetite surrounding deployment thereof.

Mobile POS Means Retailers Can Ditch the Cash Wrap (For More Than One Reason)

Baird was quick to point out that mobile POS was a driving force behind the tech refresh common to so many retailers looking to update their brick-and-mortar operations.

“It does really feel like mobile is an impetus driving technology refresh in stores right now. Retailers want mobile to be more closely integrated into the role of the store employee and store manager,” Baird began.

“They have long complained about how Apple is a different kind of experience and that they can’t be cash wrap-less [like Apple], and yet now I do see many rethinking and really shrinking down that cash wrap and wanting the store associate to be out in front of the cash wrap instead of behind it,” she added.

One major positive to getting employees out from behind the cash wrap, in a static position, is that the sales floor has more human presence, or points of contact, improving customer service (and, likely, basket size and overall purchasing). retailwire.com


Cracker Barrel Backtracks
After right-wing backlash, Cracker Barrel says it will get rid of its new logo
After days of intense backlash, most recently from President Donald Trump, Cracker Barrel is scrapping its new minimalist logo. “We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” the company said in a statement.

Last week, Cracker Barrel received a barrage of criticism when it unveiled its modernized logo, which got rid of the namesake barrel and the “old-timer” figure. Some loyal fans feared the 56-year-old chain was drifting too far from its bucolic roots, and the company’s shares (CBRL) nosedived more than 12% days after the announcement.

Trump congratulated the company on its reversal Tuesday. cnn.com


Deploying AI to Stores
Vallarta Supermarkets deploys AI solutions for fresh food management
A Hispanic-focused California grocer has implemented a host of new technology solutions to improve operations.

Vallarta Supermarkets has partnered with Logile Inc. to deploy the AI-powered workforce solutions firm’s Fresh Item Management, bringing “intelligent automation and streamlined execution” to its store locations. Logile says Vallarta’s transition to its suite for fresh food production has helped replace fragmented processes with a data-driven, automated approach. chainstoreage.com


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Credential Theft Attacks Show that Companies Need to do Better
Execs worry about unknown identity-security weaknesses

Credential theft attacks prove that companies need to do better, but business leaders cited many reasons for slow progress.

Businesses are concerned about identity-based attacks and don’t think they fully understand their networks’ weak spots, according to a new survey from Cisco’s identity technology service Duo.

Only one-third of business leaders are confident in the efficacy of their identity security solution, and 69% of leaders said they “lack full insight into identity vulnerabilities,” according to the report, which is based on interviews with 650 IT and security leaders in North America and Europe.

Almost all respondents (94%) said the complexity of their identity management platforms (companies have roughly five on average) made it more difficult to secure those systems.

While software vulnerabilities remain a popular way for hackers to break into computer systems, many nation-state and cybercriminal groups make extensive use of identity-based attacks, where they steal user credentials and then use them to log into target networks by impersonating those users. (The SolarWinds campaign, for example, featured an even more elaborate identity-based attack that involved stealing a Microsoft authentication key to forge user access tokens. Identity security has quickly become one of the cybersecurity market’s most urgent and competitive segments.

But IT executives often design and build computer system infrastructures without fully considering identity security. Roughly three-quarters of respondents told Duo that the topic is “often an afterthought.”

As for the finding that nearly 70% of leaders aren’t sure how secure their identity platforms are, Duo said this could indicate serious deficiencies in their cybersecurity postures because “unseen identities and privileged accounts are high-risk blind spots.”  cybersecuritydive.com


On Alert for Cyberattacks
CISOs grow more concerned about risk of material cyberattack

A report by Proofpoint shows growing anxiety among security leaders about their companies’ cyber readiness.

Chief information security officers are increasingly concerned about the risk of a cyberattack, and a growing number say they have experienced a material loss of data over the past year, according to a report released Tuesday by Proofpoint.

Two-thirds of CISOs said their organizations have experienced a material loss of sensitive information over the past year, compared with only 46% in the prior year, according to the report. Meanwhile, three-quarters of CISOs fear they are at risk of a material cyberattack over the next 12 months.

The increase reflects not only heightened risk but also a cultural shift among CISOs, according to Proofpoint.

The report reveals a heightened level of concern about resilience and business continuity. While two-thirds of CISOs say they are confident in their cybersecurity culture, six in 10 CISOs say their organizations are unprepared for an attack.

Two-thirds of CISOs said they would be willing to pay a ransom in order to get sensitive data back or restore business operations, the survey found.

CISOs appear to be under increasing pressure and scrutiny about their companies’ cyber postures. The report found that less than two-thirds of CISOs said they were aligned with their corporate boards on cyber risk, down from 85% in the 2024 report. cybersecuritydive.com


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