SECURITY
ANALYSING SHRINK REDUCTION
©American Apparel
Even a vertically integrated international clothing manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer needs to employ asset protection expertise and solutions. But the application of underlying IT infrastructures to the task is still in its infancy. Miya Knights speaks with the global director of asset protection at American Apparel
and accessories, it also handles its own design, advertising and marketing. From its base in Los Angeles, California, it has grown an international, multilingual e-commerce presence and operates 250 stores (half of which are outside the US). Protecting its most valuable physical asset – its products – in-store is of paramount
A
importance for American Apparel, as it is for many retailers. The recent 2014 Retail Fraud survey of the top 100 UK retailers, sponsored by fraud management software provider Kount, found shrink levels increased this year – by over 22.2% from 0.9% of sales last year to 1.1% of sales this year. It estimated this amounts to a £5.03-billion loss to the industry. The situation in the US is no different: the same survey carried out among
American retailers identified employee theft as the biggest area of store loss, at 38% of shrinkage and up 3% on last year. The good news for 2014’s US Retail Fraud survey participants however was that administrative and book-keeping errors were down 9% year-on-year, accounting for the third biggest area of loss at 21%. Shoplifting rates also dropped 15% on last year, emerging as the fourth biggest area of loss in US retail stores, at 11%. Successful efforts to clamp down on shrinkage, administrative errors
www.retailtechnology.co.uk Autumn 2014 21
merican Apparel is a US clothing manufacturer, distributor and retailer that was founded 25 years ago. In addition to sourcing and producing its own garments
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60