Top 10 Cities Affected by Organized Retail Crime

The Midtown Atlanta from the Northwest near the Cobb County/Fulton County border on the Chattahoochee
River. The city was among the top 10 places being affected by organized retail crime.

It was a staggering result from a recent NRF survey.

Of the 129 retail companies surveyed this year, nearly all (94.5%) have been the victim of organized retail crime in the past 12 months, a 6% increase over last year and the most in the survey’s history. Retailers said thieves are becoming more brazen and dangerous that, on average more than one in 10 organized retail crime apprehensions (13%) lead to some level of violence.

Here are the cities that retailers were most affected by organized retail crime rings:

• Atlanta, GA
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Houston, TX
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• New York, NY/Northern NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Phoenix, AZ

Survey also indicates cargo theft poses a big problem for retailers. Organized retail crime has been highlighted in the past as thefts in stores. Now, half of retailers (49.6%) say they have been a victim of cargo theft in the past 12 months. Theft also occurs en route from the distribution center to the store (57.4%), between the manufacturer and the distribution center (39.7%), at the distribution center (22.1%), and as merchandise moves from one store to another (22.1%).

NRF's Senior Asset Protection Advisor Joe LaRocca appeared live on CNBC to discuss the result of the survey on Organized Retail Crime (ORC). Watch him in this video:

What is Organized Retail Crime?

Organized retail crime (ORC) refers to groups, gangs and sometimes individuals who are engaged in illegally obtaining retail merchandise through both theft and fraud in substantial quantities as part of a criminal enterprise. These crime rings generally consist of "boosters" - who methodically steal merchandise from retail stores - and fence operators who convert the product to cash or drugs as part of the criminal enterprise.

According to congressional testimony and industry experts, ORC losses total an estimated $15-30 billion annually.

Download complete Organized Retail Crime report here.



About the Survey

The 2011 NRF Organized Retail Crime survey was conducted from April 19 – May 10, 2011 by the National Retail Federation. Senior loss prevention executives at 129 retail companies completed the survey with the purpose of identifying the depth of organized retail crime throughout the entire industry. This year’s survey features responses from executives representing department/large box stores, discount, drug, grocery, restaurant and specialty retailers.


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