Indyme Launches Its Third Generation Freedom Case:
A Smarter, More Flexible Self-Service Security Case for Modern Retail

New gondola-mount Freedom Case delivers 98% shrink reduction, $10K annual labor savings, and real-time insights—without locking out loyal customers.

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, June 23, 2025 -- Indyme, a pioneer in retail security and shopper engagement technologies, today announced the launch of Freedom Case GM (Gondola Mount) — the latest innovation in its expanding Freedom Case product line. Packed with all the sales saving self-service features of Freedom Case, the 3rd generation Freedom Case GM features a new innovative telescoping design concept, expanding from 13 inches to 23 inches to accommodate virtually any gondola system, saving cost and simplifying installation. It is now available in 84", 72", and 60" heights as well as 48" and 36" widths. With built-in LED lighting, powerful investigative tools, and a modular, wrap around design, this new smart showcase gives retailers unprecedented flexibility to protect merchandise without sacrificing sales or the shopper experience.

Launching amid record-breaking retail shrink — estimated at over $125 billion annually in the U.S. alone — Freedom Case GM is engineered to combat organized retail crime and grab-and-go theft, while maintaining access and transparency for trusted customers.

"Freedom Case is the answer to shopper's growing dissatisfaction with traditional locked cases." said Joe Budano, CEO of Indyme. "Freedom Case GM not only solves for the locked case dilemma, it frees retailers from unproductive labor and restores lost sales."

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5,000 Stores Nationwide Using AI Tech to Fight Shoplifting
This AI security tech alerts store staff if it thinks you're trying to steal something

A Paris-based AI startup has developed a gesture recognition algorithm to try to predict shoplifting.

One of the best ways to deal with shoplifting is to prevent it from happening in the first place. That's the goal of Paris-based AI startup Veesion, which has developed an algorithm that can recognize gestures to predict potential retail theft incidents.

Veesion said its tech is deployed in 5,000 stores across Europe, Canada, and the US. The startup recently raised a $43 million Series B funding round to further its expansion into the US.

The alarm over shoplifting has subsided somewhat over the past year as retailers and law enforcement have gotten a better grip on the problem. Earnings call mentions of the term "shrink," the industry term for missing inventory, have come down significantly among the major retailers Business Insider tracks, according to data from AlphaSense, an AI research platform.

But even though shoplifting is making fewer headlines (especially compared to retail's splashy new AI capabilities), Koenig said the problem remains a compelling one to tackle with machine learning.

"It's not glamorous, but the ROI is quite direct," he said. "You're going to arrest shoplifters, recover inventory, and save money."

One key difference between Veesion's tech and some other visual security approaches is that it says it doesn't rely on individual tracking or physical characteristics that could raise concerns about bias or personal privacy.

The algorithm doesn't care what you look like, Veesion cofounder Benoît Koenig said. It only cares what you're doing. The system analyzes footage from the existing security camera network to detect humans in the picture, identify their movements, and recognize various objects, such as merchandise, carts, baskets, or bags. businessinsider.com


Theft Closures Continue to Hit San Francisco's Biggest Mall
San Francisco's biggest mall loses another clothing store as businesses battle theft and run-down environment
San Francisco's largest mall continues to flounder as yet another store has pulled out, citing high levels of theft. Milk Tee, a women's clothing retailer, announced last week that it would soon be moving out of the mall after five years.

'It is with great sadness that we announce the difficult decision to close our store location here in San Francisco,' the business revealed on Instagram. 'Unfortunately, due to the lack of improvement for businesses in the city's environment, high theft, and low sales overall at San Francisco Centre, it has driven us to take on this difficult decision.'

The mall in San Francisco's downtown has struggled to deal with the area's descent into lawless homeless camps with open air drugs markets and high levels of theft following the pandemic.

The San Francisco Centre mall has shed many of its other retailers. Recent major losses include Bloomingdale's, Razer, Kate Spade and Michael Kors. The exodus has been ongoing for years, with Adidas and American Eagle closing their doors in January and May of last year, respectively.

Other high-profile departures include L'Occitane, Sephora, J. Crew, Hollister, and the Lego Store. The mall itself is set to be sold at auction on July 24, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. This is the fifth time the auction has been rescheduled, but reasons for the delay are unclear.

The mall, previously known as the Westfield San Francisco Centre, was renamed last year in an effort to rejuvenate its tired image. dailymail.co.uk


Is California’s Retail Theft Crackdown Working?
New Reports Say More Data, Oversight Needed
California has ramped up its efforts to combat retail theft, but two recent reports raise urgent questions about whether those efforts are effective—or even trackable. A decade after voters passed Proposition 47, reducing certain theft crimes to misdemeanors, a complex legal and social landscape has emerged around retail crime. While public concern has driven lawmakers to increase penalties and enforcement, the state still lacks the comprehensive data needed to determine if these changes are working.

A report from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), Retail Theft in California: Looking Back at a Decade of Change, finds that while reported retail theft rose 11 percent between 2014 and 2023, current levels remain far below the highs of the 1980s. The report attributes part of the post-2021 rise to the end of COVID-related shutdowns, but also notes that changes in criminal law and policing practices may have played a role.

“The number of people incarcerated dropped significantly during the pandemic,” the report explains, “and clearance rates—the percentage of cases where police make an arrest—declined from 14 percent in 2014 to just 8 percent in 2023.” These declines, according to researchers, likely contributed to higher theft rates by decreasing the perceived risk of apprehension.

Proposition 47, approved in 2014, changed many low-level property crimes—including retail theft under $950—from felonies to misdemeanors. That shift limited law enforcement’s ability to arrest and detain individuals and may have reduced the deterrent effect of the criminal justice system.

But the LAO stops short of placing full blame on Proposition 47. It also highlights social and technological changes, including the growth of online marketplaces that facilitate the resale of stolen goods and the expansion of self-checkout lines. Pandemic-era masking policies may also have made it easier to avoid detection. davisvanguard.org

   RELATED: Are California’s efforts to address retail theft working?


Combating Organized Retail Crime Act Picks Up More Support
Loadsure backs federal bill targeting cargo and retail theft surge

Legislation aims to boost enforcement and reduce supply chain losses

Freight protection-focused specialty firm Loadsure has announced its support for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) of 2025, a bipartisan bill introduced in both chambers of Congress aimed at strengthening federal response to retail and cargo theft.

The proposed legislation seeks to expand the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to investigate and coordinate enforcement efforts in response to organized retail crime and related supply chain disruptions.

Industry data has pointed to increasing concern, including a 2024 Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) survey in which two-thirds of respondents reported a rise in cargo theft over the previous two years.

Under the proposed legislation, federal prosecutors would be permitted to aggregate thefts totaling $5,000 or more that occur within a 12-month period, even if they involve separate incidents.

This would enable authorities to pursue coordinated criminal activity under a broader framework, rather than treating each offense as an isolated event. Supporters say this shift addresses a longstanding gap in how cargo and retail theft are prosecuted at the federal level.

The bill would also establish a dedicated Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations. This new center is intended to enhance collaboration between law enforcement, retailers, and freight and logistics providers.

Cargo theft continues to affect the freight industry at scale. Data from 2024 showed a 27% increase in reported thefts across transportation modes, with average losses exceeding $200,000 per incident. insurancebusinessmag.com


More Retailers Ditch Self-Checkout As Theft Surges
Walmart Makes Sudden Self-Checkout Decision After Alarming Police Data
Walmart is pulling back on one of its biggest retail experiments after eye-opening data from police revealed just how costly self-checkout can be. At a Supercenter in Shrewsbury, MO, Walmart abruptly removed all self-checkout machines—permanently.

The decision came after years of frequent police calls tied to theft at the store, which local law enforcement says dropped dramatically after the kiosks were removed.

According to the Webster-Kirkwood Times, the Shrewsbury Police Department responded to 509 calls from the Walmart location between January and May of last year. During the same period this year, after the self-checkouts were removed, those calls dropped to just 183. Arrests fell by more than half, from 108 to just 49.

"That's a huge change," said police chief Lisa Vargas. "We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers."

While many major retailers once hailed self-checkout as the future of shopping, the reality has proven far more complicated. The move in Missouri isn't isolated. Walmart has also removed self-checkouts from a location in Cleveland and is reportedly reconsidering its broader strategy. yahoo.com

   RELATED: An end to a Walmart self-checkout aisle?

 
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AI's Retail Opportunity
Retail Reimagined: The Impact of AI and Its Leading Innovators

By Tony D'Onofrio - President, Sensormatic

The retail industry is experiencing a transformative evolution, driven by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). As consumers increasingly demand personalized experiences and seamless transactions, retailers are turning to AI technologies to meet these expectations.

From optimizing inventory management to enhancing customer engagement through tailored recommendations, AI is reshaping how businesses operate and interact with shoppers. This growth is not only streamlining processes but also creating innovative shopping experiences that were once unimaginable. As major players in the retail sector embrace AI, the landscape is set for a revolution that will redefine the future of commerce.

By 2029, according to IHL Group, the worldwide impact of AI on the retail industry through 2029 will be an astounding $9.2 trillion. Seventy-two percent of the benefit will be to retailers over $1 billion in size.

The segments that will dominate economic benefits through 2029 are pure play e-commerce, food / grocery, mass merchandisers / hypermarkets, and specialty hard goods. The majority of the economic benefit to retail will be increased sales.

This article examines deeper the impact of AI in the retail industry, the retail companies leading the way, the primary AI applications, and closes with insights on what ChatGPT tells us AI will deliver in the next ten years.

   Click here to read Tony's full article


NYC on High Alert After Iran Bombings
New York City Increases N.Y.P.D. Presence at Vulnerable Sites
New York City increased the police presence at religious, cultural and diplomatic sites following the U.S. bombings in Iran, Mayor Eric Adams said after a virtual meeting on Sunday among the mayor, Police Department leaders and the agency’s international liaisons.

The mayor and the police commissioner, Jessica S. Tisch, held the briefing “to discuss the situation in the Middle East and how it affects us here at home,” Mr. Adams said in a statement on social media.

He said the police presence had been increased “out of an abundance of caution.”

In a separate statement on Sunday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said state officials were “not aware of any specific or credible threat to New Yorkers.” But “given New York’s distinctive global profile,” she said, “we are taking this situation extraordinarily seriously.”

It is common practice for the Police Department — the country’s largest municipal law enforcement agency — to increase security after a major international event. nytimes.com


American Tourism Tanking Amid Controversial Policies
US set to lose $12.5 bn in foreign tourism in 2025: industry

The United States is on track to lose some $12.5 billion in revenue from foreign tourists this year, a tourism industry group said Thursday, as the Trump administration has led a crackdown in immigrants.

The study by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Oxford Economics found that the United States was the only country set to see a drop in spending from foreign tourists this year. The drop to $181 billion in spending by foreign tourists will put it 22.5 percent from the peak set a decade ago.

The WTTC, made up of leading travel firms, said this "represents a direct blow to the US economy overall, impacting communities, jobs, and businesses from coast to coast". "While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the US government is putting up the 'closed' sign," she said in a statement.

With President Donald Trump leading a cracking down on illegal immigration, making politically charged comments about other nations, and slapping tariffs on foreign goods, there have numerous efforts by consumers in other countries to boycott US products and calls to skip travel to the United States. france24.com


Were Tariff Price Fears Overblown?
So, has anything actually gotten more expensive because of Trump’s tariffs?
Predictions from mainstream economists were dire after President Donald Trump launched his tariff campaign just a couple weeks after he began his second term in office: Prices would rise — sharply — they said, reigniting an inflation crisis that tens of millions of Americans had elected him to solve.

But that massive, tariff-induced inflation spike hasn’t materialized. Not even close. Not yet, anyway.

Consumer prices rose just 2.4%, annually, last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was less than economists had expected, and only slightly higher than the 2.3% rate in April, which was the US economy’s lowest inflation since February 2021. According to the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index most closely followed by the Federal Reserve, core inflation — which strips out volatile items like food and gas prices — fell to 2.5% in April. That was the lowest reading since March 2021.

That’s a far cry from what economists and consumers have predicted. Month after month, inflation has fallen short of Wall Street’s expectations, as American businesses said they would be forced to hike prices as a result of historically high tariffs. cnn.com


Facial Recognition is a Successful Crime-Fighting Tool
Opinion: Debunking concerns on facial recognition technology
[T]here are data-backed reasons facial recognition technology is widely adopted — including the ability to use existing hardware (cameras) and photos, rather than requiring specialized equipment and data collection processes.

…With rapid improvement through machine learning and neural networks, the leading technologies are now over 99 percent accurate across demographics, according to National Institute of Standards and Technology data....More than 2 million U.S. air travelers use facial recognition technology every day to verify IDs at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.

Across the nation, facial recognition technology is successfully leveraged in law enforcement to find missing children, fight human trafficking, and stop dangerous criminals. thehill.com

 
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