Looting & Unrest Hitting Retailers in France
France is aflame as looters attack luxury stores, groceries, and pharmacies

Looting and vandalism hit retailers across France, with Louis Vuitton, Celine, Decathlon and Apple among the brands targeted.

A series of protests over the cost of living devolved into chaos and violence across France on Saturday and Sunday.

Looting kicked off around the Place de la République in the French capital, where young people smashed their way through shop windows and made off with merchandise, the AFP reported. The mob hit an SFR mobile phone store and other outlets that sold luxury goods and clothing.

Franprix, Monoprix, Picard, and Carrefour City were among the grocery retailers looted in Paris, the AFP reported. In the 11th arrondissement, looters were seen leaving a Franprix filled with bags of juice, alcohol, and cakes, according to the AFP.

The shopkeeper of a store near Place de la République named Cédric told RTL, a radio network in France, that he had barricaded himself inside his business in a bid to protect his goods.

"They're smashing everything around us," he told RTL, adding that he'd been a storekeeper in the area for 30 years. "They've destroyed my business. They've smashed my shop windows. They're taking pieces of glass to throw at the riot police. They're giving us the finger. They're telling us they're going to slit our throats. It's just the apocalypse."

The AFP reported that looting took place in several French cities, including Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg, where supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury boutiques, and electronics stores were raided and vandalized.

Photos also showed luxury goods outlets — including the Galeries Lafayette — being looted.

Thierry Guibert, CEO of Lacoste, posted a statement on Instagram on Saturday about the "images of violence and destruction" he had seen from the protests.

"When our Lacoste and Aigle stores are looted, like so many other businesses across France, it's not just shop windows that are smashed. It's jobs, years of work, expertise, and the commitment of thousands of women and men that are jeopardized," Guibert wrote. businessinsider.com

RELATED: Retail Executives Speak Out After Store Looting in Paris


Illegal for Large Retailers NOT To Report a Theft to Police?
Castle Rock considering law requiring retailers to report theft within four days

A Castle Rock councilmember wants stores to report thefts to police within four days. The police chief calls the ordinance unnecessary.

The Castle Rock Town Council will consider an ordinance Tuesday that would make it illegal for large retailers not to report a theft to police within four days.

Republican state Rep. Max Brooks, who also serves on the council, asked the town attorney to help draft the proposal. It would add a section to the town’s criminal code requiring a corporate entity to report the theft of its property within 96 hours of learning there are reasonable grounds to believe one happened.

The draft also requires companies to keep photo or video evidence of a theft and give it to police. It bars them from retaliating against employees who report theft, and from adopting a written policy that prohibits employees from reporting theft to police.

The draft the town posted does not list a penalty. Brooks said while one could be added, he does not want one. Brooks said he brought the idea to the council and town staff after tracking an ordinance Douglas County adopted earlier this year.

Douglas County commissioners approved the ordinance unanimously Feb. 24. It lets a court fine businesses that do not report theft. Brooks said he does not know how many times it has been enforced.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it has not issued any citations under it. The sheriff's office said in an email that a few businesses have reached out with questions about the ordinance. 9news.com


Self-Checkout Theft Impacting Retailers
Walmart, Target, and Kroger face growing shoplifting trend

Home Depot is also in the crosshairs as new data raises questions about what actually stops theft.

While Walmart and Target have made some changes to their self-checkout rules, both chains still rely heavily on customers scanning their own items and checking themselves out. Kroger and Home Depot remain committed to self-checkout, using it heavily across their stores.

New data, however, shows that shoplifting has been a growing problem.

“More than half of self-checkout users who deliberately took an item without scanning say they expect to do it again. A new analysis from The Law Offices of Tad Nelson & Associates places that repeat intent against FBI records showing 2025 shoplifting reports remained 7.5% above 2023.

“Detection does not appear to end the behavior for everyone. 46% of intentional self-checkout thieves said they had been caught. Separately, 31% said they felt no remorse,” according to self-reported survey data.

The timing adds urgency, with the Council on Criminal Justice reporting that shoplifting rose 4% in the first half of 2026, even as most major crime categories declined. That study tracks crime in a sample of U.S. cities, so the figure does not represent a definitive nationwide shoplifting increase.

Target and Walmart have cut the item limit for self-checkout transactions in some stores, but they still rely heavily on the technology. Kroger has implemented selective changes in some stores as well, but has not made any widespread effort to return to cashier-led transactions. thestreet.com


Top Theft Target?
How Physical Security is Evolving in High-end Retail

Luxury retail has always faced unique security challenges. High-value merchandise has long made high-end boutiques, jewelry stores, and fashion houses attractive targets for theft.

Unlike many other retail environments, luxury stores are designed around personal service, exclusivity, and carefully curated customer experiences. Security decisions must support those objectives rather than compete with them.

Organized retail crime now involves increasingly coordinated and sophisticated attacks. Some attacks are carefully planned and target distribution centers or manufacturing facilities.

Others are opportunistic, involving groups that enter a boutique, seize merchandise, and leave within minutes. At the same time, luxury brands must protect employees, maintain customer confidence, and preserve the premium experience that distinguishes their stores.

Physical security has become an integral part of protecting the experience, reputation, and trust that define a luxury brand.

Every interaction inside a luxury boutique contributes to how customers perceive the brand. From the store layout and service to the atmosphere and privacy, every detail matters. Security must support that experience without becoming the focus.

The organizations that successfully combine security, operational efficiency, and customer experience will be better positioned to protect both their business and the reputation their brand has worked so hard to earn.  techeconomy.ng


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Consistency Strengthens Retail Asset Protection
The Hidden Value of Consistency in Retail Asset Protection

Why Standardized Store Operations Are Essential to Effective Loss Prevention

By the D&D Daily staff

In retail asset protection, attention often centers on technology, emerging risks and new strategies for reducing losses. Yet one of the most important factors influencing a retailer's overall performance is considerably less complicated: the consistent execution of everyday store procedures.

From inventory handling and merchandise receiving to employee training and operational compliance, small variations in how stores perform routine tasks can create significant challenges across a retail organization.

Consistency is particularly important for retailers operating multiple locations. Even when stores follow the same corporate policies, differences in staffing, management practices and training can lead to uneven execution.

For asset protection teams, identifying these inconsistencies represents an opportunity to improve operational performance before problems become more costly.

Consider inventory accuracy. When merchandise is received, transferred or recorded differently across locations, discrepancies can accumulate and make it more difficult to maintain reliable inventory records. These inaccuracies can affect replenishment decisions, product availability and the customer experience.

The same principle applies to employee training. Procedures that are clearly documented but inconsistently reinforced may produce different outcomes depending on the location or management team.

This is where asset protection professionals can play a broader organizational role.

Rather than focusing exclusively on identifying losses, AP teams can work alongside store operations, human resources and inventory management to evaluate whether established processes are practical, understood and consistently followed.

Regular operational reviews, targeted training and clear performance measurements can help identify recurring gaps. Just as importantly, feedback from frontline employees can reveal procedures that may be unnecessarily complicated or difficult to execute during busy periods.

Technology can support these efforts by providing greater visibility into operational trends, but effective implementation still depends on employee engagement and management accountability.

Ultimately, strong asset protection programs are built on more than policies and systems. They require consistent execution, clear communication and ongoing collaboration across departments.

For retailers looking to strengthen performance, improving the reliability of everyday operations may deliver benefits extending well beyond traditional loss prevention.

 
ISCPO London Summit Success
ISCPO 2026 London Summit Achieves Tremendous Success
London, UK – October 15, 2026 — Last week, the International Supply Chain Protection Organization (ISCPO) hosted its annual London Summit, bringing together industry leaders, risk executives, law enforcement officials, and security professionals for a vital day of collaboration, threat analysis, and strategic networking.

The event focused directly on the evolving landscape of freight crime, supply chain resilience, and cross-border intelligence sharing with law enforcement agencies across the UK & EU.

Byron Smith CFI, LPC, President & Chairman of the ISCPO, remarked on the event’s success. “Yesterday’s London Summit underscored a crucial reality in modern logistics: combatting freight crime requires an integrated, intelligence-led response across industry lines and borders. Bringing together supply chain security leadership, law enforcement and global transport specialists demonstrated our collective resolve to collaborate and stay ahead of sophisticated cargo theft strategies.”

The ISCPO extends its sincere gratitude to Verkada, Mark Coates and Josie Menon for their invaluable partnership in hosting this premier event. Their support for the last three years has been crucial in bringing together this group of industry leaders to address and advance supply chain security. iscpo.org


Glimmers of Hope for Retail's Upcoming Holiday Season
NRF: Holiday sales to top $1T for first time; seasonal hiring steady
The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects solid year-over-year growth in holiday sales with seasonal spending reaching a new milestone.

The NRF annual holiday forecast projects that retail sales in November and December will grow 4.2% from the same period in 2025, translating to total spending of $1.013 trillion. By comparison, 2025 holiday sales rose 3.1% from 2024 to reach $972 billion, which fell short of NRF’s initial forecast of $1.02 trillion.

Inflation will account for nearly half of this year's 4.2% gain, according to NRF. It expects core goods inflation to average 2.5% in 2026, up from 1.6% in 2025.

“We head into the holiday season with strong spending momentum, as consumers remain the bright spot in the economy,” said NRF chief economist and executive director of research Mark Mathews. “At the same time, inflation, rising gas prices and pressure on household spending will affect consumers differently across income groups.”

Examining seasonal hiring trends, the NRF said retailers are hiring seasonal workers to meet consumer demand this holiday season. The NRF expects retailers to hire between 325,000 and 375,000 seasonal workers, in line with the estimated 356,000 seasonal jobs retailers filled in 2025.  chainstoreage.com


Retail Employee Retention Concerns
Canadian Retailers Face a Costly Employee Retention Challenge
Canadian retailers spend considerable resources recruiting and training employees, only to repeat the process when those workers leave. For businesses operating with relatively small store teams, the continuing cycle of recruitment, onboarding and replacement creates expenses that extend beyond wages and benefits, while the loss of experienced staff can affect productivity and customer service.

Suzanne Sears, owner of Best Retail Careers, believes retailers need to pay greater attention to retaining the employees they already have. In an interview with Retail Insider, she said businesses frequently absorb the expense of replacing departing workers while overlooking opportunities to improve retention through training and career development.

Sears has been encouraging retailers to explore government-supported training programs, particularly smaller businesses with limited resources for employee development. Her argument comes as Canadian industry research continues to identify retail as a sector facing comparatively high employee turnover and persistent challenges attracting and retaining workers. retail-insider.com


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Last week's #1 article --

Police Use Tech to Battle Theft
A number of forces have started using live facial recognition technology, while others track repeat offenders using electronic GPS ankle tags.

Is there a way of stopping repeat shoplifting?
Persistent shoplifters are often caught in a cycle of police, courts and prison, says a charity which is calling for more joined up support to be made available. Revolving Doors says homelessness, poor mental health and poverty are often driving this repeat offending.

Police forces in England and Wales recorded 502,011 shoplifting offences in 2025-26, a 5% drop on the year before but higher than pre-pandemic levels. The Home Office says 23% of offences now lead to a charge, meaning more criminals are facing consequences.

A recent BBC investigation found 270 shoplifters were linked to more than 28,000 offences between 2020-21 and 2025-26.

Retailers, including the Co-op, have been calling on the government to do more to tackle prolific offenders, including making more use of employment and rehabilitation programmes. The government also says a large number of shop thefts are fuelled by repeat offenders stealing to fund their addictions.

About one in five shoplifting offences in 2025-26 have led to a charge or summons. However, 285,667 reported crimes remain open cases, or they have been closed without any action being taken.

Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: "For too long, retail crime was dismissed as 'low-level', but we have been investing in more neighbourhood policing and working with police to ensure it's treated as the crime it is.

The government says it is also exploring other ways of tackling prolific shoplifting - in addition to prison sentences and drug treatment - including court orders preventing offenders from visiting certain shops or areas.

A number of forces have started using live facial recognition technology, while in Sussex some repeat offenders are now monitored using electronic GPS ankle tags. Croydon could become the first borough in London to tag and track prolific shoplifters.

Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police Alex Goss, who is the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for retail crime, said: "It is important to recognise the significant progress that has been made."

He said: "The strategy is delivering real results by bringing together policing, retailers, government and industry partners to strengthen information sharing, improve offender management, reduce violence against retail workers and develop more effective ways of reporting and investigating retail crime."  bbc.com