Power Outages & LP Risks
When the Lights Go Out: Retail's Operational Security Challenge

By the D&D Daily staff

Power outages are often viewed as a facilities or operations issue, but for retailers, they can quickly become a loss prevention challenge as well.

Modern stores rely on a wide range of interconnected technologies to support daily operations, including video surveillance systems, point-of-sale terminals, electronic article surveillance, access control systems and inventory management platforms. While many retailers have backup power capabilities in place, not every system or location is protected to the same degree.

When an outage occurs, the immediate focus is often on serving customers, protecting perishable inventory and restoring operations. At the same time, however, disruptions to security and monitoring systems can create vulnerabilities that may increase the risk of theft, fraud or inventory discrepancies.

Even short-term outages can affect transaction processing, visibility into store activity and communication between stores and corporate teams. In larger events involving severe weather or regional power disruptions, retailers may also face staffing challenges, delivery delays and difficulties maintaining normal operational controls.

That is why power resilience is increasingly becoming a cross-functional responsibility. Facilities, operations, information technology and loss prevention teams all have a role to play in outage preparedness and response.

For loss prevention leaders, preparedness may include reviewing which security systems are connected to backup power, understanding how long critical systems can remain operational during an outage and ensuring employees are trained on emergency procedures. Regular testing of backup systems and clearly documented response plans can help reduce confusion when disruptions occur.

While power outages may be relatively infrequent, their impact can extend well beyond temporary inconvenience. As retailers continue to rely on technology to support both operations and security, planning for power disruptions is becoming an important part of protecting people, assets and business continuity.

The next major outage may begin as an operational problem, but its consequences can quickly reach far beyond facilities management.


Don't Overlook Mental Health in the Workplace
How to Make Measurable Improvements in Workers’ Mental Health

Mental health impacts how employees show up to work and perform their job, so employers must treat mental health as any other safety concern.

In order to meaningfully improve employees' mental health, managers must be trained and proactive in their outreach, and employees must be knowledgeable of and comfortable seeking whatever support they need.

We spend a significant amount of time discussing physical hazards, such as fall protection, energized work, personal protective equipment (PPE) and operational risk management (ORM), in construction and other high-risk industries—and for good reason. Those factors directly affect whether someone goes home safely at the end of the day.

What safety teams do not always talk about enough is what’s happening underneath the hard hat. Mental fatigue, stress, burnout, anxiety and personal struggles all impact how people perform on the job. Those factors may not present the same way as a physical hazard, but they still influence safety performance.

That’s why more companies are starting to move mental health out of the category of standalone wellness initiatives and into everyday safety conversations. Many safety leaders already understand that mental health is important. The bigger challenge is finding ways to integrate those conversations into existing safety systems and measure whether support efforts are creating meaningful change.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is only talking about mental health during awareness months or after a crisis happens. If safety is important every day, then mental health needs to be part of those same daily conversations. ehstoday.com


AI is Transforming EHS
Safety Leaders Say They Trust AI-generated Insights

Leaders' attitudes toward EHS have become more strategic during the last 24 months says VelocityEHS.

Human trusting information from machines isn't new, but the level of trust that safety leaders have to AI-generated insights has grown to 75%.

This is according to a new survey, 2026 EHS 360 Benchmark Report: In Transition: The New Reality of EHS, from VelocityEHS.

The report found that executive leadership attitudes toward EHS have become more strategic during the last 24 months, indicating EHS is increasingly viewed as a driver of operational resilience, workforce protection, and enterprise risk management.

It seems that as companies face a number of pressures, including expanding regulatory complexity, staffing and budget constraints, and heightened expectations from executive leadership, AI can help to improve visibility, strengthen decision-making, and reduce administrative burden.

The report also reveals that AI and automation are now viewed as the most transformative forces shaping the future of EHS. Organizations increasingly see AI as a tool for reducing administrative burden, improving data quality, accelerating compliance activities, and strengthening proactive risk prevention. The findings suggest AI is moving beyond experimentation and beginning to deliver measurable value across EHS programs. ehstoday.com


Retailers Lean Into America 250
How Much Opportunity Is There for Brands and Retailers As America 250 Draws Near?
With the U.S. set to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, retailers and brands are launching a variety of products designed to satisfy shoppers hungry to show off their patriotism — and celebrate both comfortably and in style.

In a recent report penned by Gabriela Barkho for Modern Retail, she noted that retailers and brands — from larger players such as Coca-Cola, Walmart, Anheuser-Busch, and General Mills to slightly smaller entities such as La Colombe and Chobani — are keen to get into the mix when it comes to celebrating America 250. Despite a backdrop of economic and sociopolitical uncertainty, shoppers’ spirits (and spending intent) appeared healthy.

“Still, the occasion comes at a challenging time for the retail industry. The country faces political division and a volatile economy, as gas prices remain high,” Barkho wrote.

“But surveys indicate that Americans are showing early signs of excitement for the anniversary. According to an M Booth survey, 62% of Americans say the 250th anniversary is personally important to them, with eight out of 10 saying it’s a moment to celebrate the country’s history, achievements and values. Moreover, a new CivicScience survey shows that two-thirds of American adults from across the political spectrum are at least “somewhat” open to purchasing from brands that are activating campaigns around America 250,” she added. retailwire.com


Under Armour to close Oregon office

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. brings Hollister to Target, expanding US wholesale operation

Last week's #1 article --

Has Shoplifting Become Normalized?
As retail crime rises, 7 in 10 shoppers see shoplifting as “normal” behaviour, says new research from SAI

68% of shoppers say theft has become a “normalised” behaviour, with customers now expecting shoplifting to take place in-store

Such is the prevalence of rising retail crime that shoppers are becoming increasingly desensitised to shoplifting, viewing incidents of theft in-store as “normal” shopping behaviour, according to new research from SAI, the leading active intelligence solution for stores.

With ONS data showing that retailers reported 509,566 shoplifting offences in the past year, original research of 1,000 UK shoppers by SAI reveals that seven in ten (68%) now view theft as a “normalised” behaviour and expect shoplifting to take place in-store.

And, as retail’s shoplifting scourge shows no sign of easing, more than one in ten (12%) shoppers now feel “indifferent” to witnessing crime when shopping in bricks-and-mortar locations.

Convenience and grocery remain top targets for theft

With the average shopper witnessing four incidents of theft in-store each year, six in ten (61%) shoppers polled by SAI have noticed more incidents of crime in-store in the last 12 months, rising to 72% of Gen Z.
Convenience and grocery stores are where customers now notice the most incidents of theft, averaging 5 instances in the last 12 months. Gen Z shoppers witnessed even more shoplifting incidents than the average shopper (7 vs 5 instances), as did higher earners, who reported seeing more than double number of crime incidents compared to the average shopper (10 vs 5) over the past year.

Shoplifting of everyday essentials and theft to order on the rise

As cost-of-living pressures continue, over a quarter (28%) of UK shoppers say they have witnessed theft of everyday essentials, such as groceries, baby supplies and basic healthcare items, while over a fifth (21%) have witnessed big-ticket items being stolen.

Organised crime is also becoming more prevalent and visible to a growing number of customers who have witnessed ‘theft to order’.

Two thirds (65%) of consumers say organised retail crime has worsened in the last year, and almost half (45%) say they have witnessed goods seemingly being stolen to order in-store, rising to 58% among Gen Zs and Millennials. internationalsupermarketnews.com