A Leading Luxury Retailer Benefits from an Open Platform
with OpenEye Web Services

As one of the foremost fashion and luxury brands, this retailer has experienced consistent growth and innovation over several decades with locations throughout the world. With that growth came a myriad of systems to support.

To align with their company’s success, the business wanted to find a solution that could be easily scaled across new and existing locations while working with their stores’ most critical systems and devices, whether that was current third-party cameras, inventory management systems, barcode scanners, or other future innovations. Their previous solution was a closed system, which prevented them from leveraging integrations and connecting their video security to other devices and business systems.

Their key goals included:

• Open Platform: To both leverage existing hardware while preparing for future security innovations, the business wanted a surveillance platform that could easily integrate with other systems to maximize their security investment.

• Reliable Support: Because video surveillance was so critical to the success and safety of their stores, they needed to work with a cloud video platform that enabled streamlined support and resolution whenever a camera or recorder went down.

• Improved Operations: The organization didn’t just want their video security system to be used for improving safety. They also hoped that the solution could be utilized by facilities, HR, and other teams to streamline operations throughout their organization.

The luxury retailer selected OpenEye Web Services (OWS) as their dedicated security solution. After seeing the seamlessness of the OWS open ecosystem, they decided that OpenEye’s cloud-managed video platform would be the best fit to help them meet their organization’s goals.

Their company’s security solution included:

• OWS, the cloud-based video management system, to process and handle security video recordings.

• Integrated third-party cameras to continually monitor their facilities around the clock.

• OpenEye network video recorders (NVR) to capture video camera recordings.

See how OpenEye has helped this retailer enhance operations across their stores while ensuring their employees, customers, and assets are secure through an advanced open platform solution.
 

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The Convergence of ORC & Cybercrime
The Future of Retail Security Is Convergence
Retailers face a new kind of challenge. Security is no longer split between protecting the store and protecting the network. Today, every device, register, and system connects to the internet, creating overlap between cyber threats and physical risks.

Criminals exploit both at once, and the impact can be costly. A data breach might shut down surveillance cameras. A hacked point-of-sale system could give an intruder access to customer data and the store’s physical alarm network.

Even parking lot cameras or smart sensors can become entry points if not properly secured. This convergence is no longer a future concern—it is already reshaping how retailers must think about safety.

Why Retailers Should Pay Attention

• Organized retail crime costs businesses more than $112 billion annually in losses, according to the National Retail Federation.

• Cybercrime damages are projected to reach $10.5 trillion globally by 2025. Retailers are prime targets because they manage both financial transactions and personal data.

• Customers expect seamless shopping experiences but also demand privacy and protection. Any failure can quickly erode trust.

Technology Driving Convergence

In today’s retail environment, technology connects digital systems and on-site security.

• Smart cameras with AI analytics detect theft or suspicious behavior in real time.

• Access control tied to mobile credentials or cloud management platforms.

• IoT sensors track inventory and monitor environmental conditions.

• Remote monitoring centers combine video, alarms, and network alerts into one view.

When these systems work together, they improve visibility and response time. When they are siloed, they leave gaps that attackers can exploit. cbia.com


First-of-its-Kind Anti-Theft Law Unleashes Chaos
Angry shoppers get stranded in ‘unattended’ checkout lanes as US city’s shoplifting law backfires & causes cashier chaos

The ordinance is the first of its kind at the city level in the US

LONG lines, frustrated shoppers, and closed self-checkouts have become the new normal at some US stores. The chaos follows a city ordinance meant to fight retail theft – but it’s leaving many stores unable to keep lanes open.

Long Beach, California, passed the “Safe Stores are Staffed Stores” law in September, requiring large grocery stores and pharmacies to have at least one staff member for every three self-checkout kiosks. The rule also limits shoppers to 15 items per kiosk.

The city, just south of Los Angeles, is facing a nationwide trend – retail theft has surged since the pandemic, with the National Retail Federation reporting a 93% jump from 2019 to 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported. Long Beach officials described shoplifting as extremely common and underreported, noting that it makes retail work “hostile and unsafe.”

Many stores say they can’t meet the staffing requirements, forcing them to shut down self-checkouts entirely. Some shoppers are feeling the pain. “All the stores are the same now, they have it closed,” Francilla Isaac told the LA Times.

Union reps back the law, arguing it keeps employees safer. “The checkers and the cashiers are on the front lines of this,” said Matt Bell, secretary-treasurer of grocery worker union UFCW 324.The ordinance is the first of its kind at the city level in the US. the-sun.com


Retailers Welcome Canadian Government Announcement on Fighting Crime
Carney says government will introduce tougher bail, sentencing rules next week
The Liberal government will introduce tougher bail and sentencing standards for violent crime in a bill being introduced next week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday. The legislation would make bail more difficult to get for violent and organized crime offences.

"These changes will keep violent repeat offenders of these crimes off our streets and out of our communities," Carney said at a press conference in Toronto.

Retail Council of Canada welcomes today’s announcement by the Prime Minister, including his specific mention of the need to tackle organized retail theft. This marks an important step in recognizing it as a serious economic, public, and worker safety issue.

The federal government’s plan — including tougher sentencing for organized retail theft, strengthened bail provisions, and additional RCMP resources — reflects the measures RCC has long been calling for. We will now work to see reverse-onus bail provisions applied to violent retail crime, ensuring repeat and dangerous offenders are held accountable.

While this is a step in the right direction, meaningful change will depend on the provinces following suit with their own legal reforms and increased funding for policing.

Retail crime is not a victimless offence — it is a growing threat to workers, communities, and local economies. RCC looks forward to working with all levels of government to turn today’s commitments into real results. retailcouncil.org rmoutlook.com

   Canada: Portage mayor welcomes federal plan to curb violent crime


Ankle Tags for Serial Shoplifters?
Tagged shoplifters will set off alarms when entering banned areas amid crackdown on record retail theft
Tagged shoplifters will set off alerts if they breach 'exclusion zones' around stores they have previously targeted. Police are using GPS technology on ankle tags to monitor the movements of serial offenders.

They will then receive alerts if they enter a banned area, which could cover specific shops, streets or even whole towns.

Officers will also be able to warn shopkeepers if an offender comes within a 300-metre perimeter - allowing them time to prepare. The scheme could soon be used to aid prosecutions by cross-referencing the movements of known criminals with the locations of thefts.

Police chiefs have hailed the initiative as a 'game-changer' for tackling shoplifting, which reached a record high of 530,643 offences reported in the year to March - a 20 per cent increase on the previous year's total.

The most prolific 10 per cent of offenders are thought to be responsible for up to 70 per cent of store thefts. Sussex Police is fitting repeat offenders with tags as part of a new pilot called Operation STOP.

They said the tags will allow officers to monitor offenders' movements in real time, helping to deter further offences and enabling swift action if breaches or tampering occur. dailymail.co.uk

   RELATED: UK police test first electronic ankle tag on two shoplifters

 
Politics vs. Crime Data
San Francisco’s homicide rate is on track to be the lowest since the 1950s
As President Donald Trump and even local magnate Marc Benioff have called on federal troops to quell disorder in the city, San Francisco is on track to have the lowest number of homicides in more than 70 years, the Chronicle found — potentially beating last year’s 60-year low.

By the San Francisco Police Department’s latest official count, there had been 19 homicides in the first nine months of 2025, compared to 24 last year at the same time last year.

The stunning, sustained decline comes as Trump described San Francisco and other liberal American cities as “very unsafe places” that should be used as “training grounds” for the military. Already, the administration has moved to send the National Guard, including troops from California, to Portland over the objections of Oregon’s governor and the city’s mayor. For now, that attempt has been blocked by a judge.

But the data often does not suggest that San Francisco and other Democrat-led cities are dangerous places, particularly when it comes to murder. San Francisco’s decline is part of a homicide drop across the nation — which could also reach the lowest numbers on record since 1960, according to crime analyst Jeff Asher.

In 2024, before the continued drop this year, San Francisco’s homicide rate was already among the lowest among big cities last year, according to data from the Real Time Crime Index, which compiles crime data from different agencies. Portland, whose 2024 per capita murder rate was middle of the pack compared to other cities with more than 500,000 people, has also seen a marked decline in killings this year. sfchronicle.com
 

What the Stats Really Say About Crime Surge

Twin Cities crime data: Violent crime rose by 1% in 2024
 

'Workplace Safety is at a Crossroads'
Agentic AI and the Future of Worker Safety: Moving from Theory to Impact

The next big thing in artificial intelligence will make data analysis easier and more proactive, which will result in fewer serious injuries and fatalities and a safer workplace.

Agentic AI refers to adaptive, decision-making systems that analyze context and act in real- time, helping safety leaders predict risks and prevent incidents before they occur. Safety professionals are familiar with capturing data, but they need to focus on the next step: leveraging its capabilities to intervene.

For safety professionals looking to get started with agentic AI, focus on quick wins and ways to meet your workers where they’re at to build buy-in and show the potential of the new technology.

Workplace safety is at a crossroads. In many industries, injury rates have plateaued despite decades of investment in training, compliance programs and audits. In fact, more than half of EHS leaders report that both injury frequency and severity have remained flat or worsened in the past year, according to a benchmarking survey we conducted earlier this year. Leaders are stretched thin; hazards are increasingly complex and frontline workers often shoulder risks without the tools to match.

Traditional safety systems were built to document incidents and track compliance. They are useful for reporting what went wrong yesterday, but they rarely provide the foresight or agility needed to stop incidents before they happen. That blind spot leaves our frontline workers exposed.

Agentic AI is starting to change this trajectory. Unlike static software, it is designed to adapt, anticipate and guide action in the moment, making it one of the most powerful tools safety leaders have had in years. ehstoday.com


Silver Lining on Retail Returns?
Retail Returns Are Down, But Will Consumers Abide Stricter Return Policies?
According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) latest report on retail returns, the “2025 Retail Returns Landscape,” there are a myriad of complex issues solidifying around polarizing points of view — one from the consumer end of things, and the other from retailers.

There is one silver lining of note, however: Overall, retail returns are down from a year ago, with estimates showing a total of $849.9 billion in returns expected this year (or 15.8% of annual sales), versus ~$890 billion in 2024 (or about 16.9% of last year’s annual sales).

With that being said, a gulf between consumer expectations regarding generous return policies and retailers’ willingness — or perhaps ability — to continue these policies is heightening. A few of the most pertinent data points follow:

• Return fraud continues to plague retailers’ bottom lines.

• More than half (57%) of shoppers polled said that they will not shop with a retailer after having been charged for a return.

• The next generation of shoppers, namely Gen Z, are more prone to place more returns.

• Despite all of the above, consumers are sticking to their guns when it comes to valuing free returns. retailwire.com

Shutdown's Business Impact
Business groups warns government shutdown is 'harming small businesses and costing American economic growth'

Business groups warn regulatory delays and operational disruptions pile up during extended closure

Business groups are expressing concern that the ongoing government shutdown is having negative impacts on economic activity and the ability of firms to operate and grow.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday warned the impact of the government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, is beginning to have an impact on businesses, workers and the overall economy as it drags on.

"The government shutdown is harming small businesses and costing American economic growth that can't be recovered," said Neil Bradley, EVP and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged the economic toll of the shutdown this week, saying that the ongoing shutdown is "starting to cut into muscle" in terms of the economy, which the Treasury indicated could amount to about $15 billion a week. foxbusiness.com


Toys"R"Us opening 10 flagships, 20 seasonal shops — here are all the locations

REI to close 3 stores in 2026