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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Father's Day Spending this Month is up says NRF

But still trails behind Mother's Day spending.

What makes it higher this year is the topic.


Well, one possible answer has come from BIG Research that conducted the survey. Spending on Dad has taken a backseat for the past few years, but many families "are planning to make up for lost time this Father's Day" says NRF President Matthew Shay.

On average, wives and kids will spend $106.49 for dads compared to last year's $94.32 (that is $12.17 more than last year).

Another possible reason is based on the U.S retail sales trends and demographics. As many of us know, US retail sales rise for 10th month in a row. If we apply that as rule of thumb, dads will get better pampering this month from their families.

In a broader sense, economic analysts say that US spending is back on track and rapidly catches up where it slided down in 2007.

In my opinion, whether or not the trending is going up this month, the more important is that we give due recognition to millions of dads. There's no other time it makes more sense to celebrate the "man who makes it all better than Father's Day."


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Retail Horizons: Forecasts for 2011

Image courtesy of National Retail Federation

The NRF and KPMG have recently published the ninth annual study on the "state of the retail industry." The report, which was conducted in the fall of 2010 and participated by more than 300 retail executives in 135 companies, provides top strategies retail companies will implement or currently implementing while the
economy continues to recover.

The scope of the study includes customer insights, merchandising, field operations, supply chain management, among others. All relevant information from the study will greatly benefit by retail executives and those that recommend, implement, decide (global or local), or identify the needs of the organization.

• Download the scope of the recently published, "Retail Horizons: Benchmark for 2010, Forecasts for 2011"

• To get an idea about Retail Horizons research studies, download the previous editions here.

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About KPMG:
KPMG is a global research firm which members include more than 137,000 professionals, more than 7,600 partners, in 144 countries. KPMG delivers a globally consistent set of multidisciplinary services based on deep industry knowledge.

About NRF:
The world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, the National Retail Federation's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the U.S. and more than 45 countries abroad.


In the U.S., NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2009 sales of $2.3 trillion.