Leroy N. Soetoro
2024-02-07 23:08:19 UTC
https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-world/grocery-chain-reveals-
shoplifting-losses-outpace-earnings-theft-ticks-up
'People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in not paying for
products,' grocery store chief says
A grocery store chain in Europe said that shoplifting losses exceeded
profits made by the company in 2023, reports show.
"We often catch people not scanning products, or not paying at the cash
register. People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in not paying for
products. You sometimes fall over in shock to witness how creative people
are to take products without paying," Ton van Veen, CEO of grocery chain
Jumbo, told Netherlands-based news outlet ANP.
Jumbo is a grocery chain with more than 700 locations that operate in both
Belgium and the Netherlands. The company detailed in an earnings release
that the value of items stolen from store locations was 25% higher than
profits pulled in last year, the NL Times reported.
The chain said that shoplifting usually leads to a loss of 100 million
euros ($110 million) each year, exceeding the anticipated annual profit of
around 80 million ($88 million) after taxes in 2023.
"In many stores, the loss due to stolen products now amounts to around 1
percent of turnover, and store employees are confronted with unpleasant
situations and increased tensions," the company said, according to the NL
Times.
Jumbo officials said that there was an estimated 60% increase in
shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to 2022, with the cost of living
fanning the flames of theft and crime, the Financial Times reported. The
grocery chain added that self-checkout has also contributed to the
increase in shoplifting, accounting for one-third of the thefts.
"This is a growing problem, and we are appealing to politicians to address
this," Van Veen said, according to the NL Times.
"It also very much depends on the neighborhood. There are market areas
where we are more troubled by it, and there are areas where it is less
prevalent," he continued.
To combat the crime trend, the supermarket chief said the company is
deploying security guards at a "growing number" of grocery store doors,
and will focus on adding camera surveillance to locations.
"We will communicate with customers so that they know that they are being
recorded. We respect all privacy regulations. As soon as we take concrete
steps, we will provide further information about this," Van Veen said,
according to NL Times.
Similar to a handful of U.S. cities, areas of Europe have reported
increases in retail theft in recent years. A study published late last
year found that four in 10 people in Belgium would leave a grocery store
with at least one item they did not pay for, the Brussels Times reported.
In the Netherlands, a study found that shoplifting incidents increased by
at least 15% in 2023, compared to the year prior.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jumbos press team Thursday for additional
comment.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
shoplifting-losses-outpace-earnings-theft-ticks-up
'People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in not paying for
products,' grocery store chief says
A grocery store chain in Europe said that shoplifting losses exceeded
profits made by the company in 2023, reports show.
"We often catch people not scanning products, or not paying at the cash
register. People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in not paying for
products. You sometimes fall over in shock to witness how creative people
are to take products without paying," Ton van Veen, CEO of grocery chain
Jumbo, told Netherlands-based news outlet ANP.
Jumbo is a grocery chain with more than 700 locations that operate in both
Belgium and the Netherlands. The company detailed in an earnings release
that the value of items stolen from store locations was 25% higher than
profits pulled in last year, the NL Times reported.
The chain said that shoplifting usually leads to a loss of 100 million
euros ($110 million) each year, exceeding the anticipated annual profit of
around 80 million ($88 million) after taxes in 2023.
"In many stores, the loss due to stolen products now amounts to around 1
percent of turnover, and store employees are confronted with unpleasant
situations and increased tensions," the company said, according to the NL
Times.
Jumbo officials said that there was an estimated 60% increase in
shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to 2022, with the cost of living
fanning the flames of theft and crime, the Financial Times reported. The
grocery chain added that self-checkout has also contributed to the
increase in shoplifting, accounting for one-third of the thefts.
"This is a growing problem, and we are appealing to politicians to address
this," Van Veen said, according to the NL Times.
"It also very much depends on the neighborhood. There are market areas
where we are more troubled by it, and there are areas where it is less
prevalent," he continued.
To combat the crime trend, the supermarket chief said the company is
deploying security guards at a "growing number" of grocery store doors,
and will focus on adding camera surveillance to locations.
"We will communicate with customers so that they know that they are being
recorded. We respect all privacy regulations. As soon as we take concrete
steps, we will provide further information about this," Van Veen said,
according to NL Times.
Similar to a handful of U.S. cities, areas of Europe have reported
increases in retail theft in recent years. A study published late last
year found that four in 10 people in Belgium would leave a grocery store
with at least one item they did not pay for, the Brussels Times reported.
In the Netherlands, a study found that shoplifting incidents increased by
at least 15% in 2023, compared to the year prior.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jumbos press team Thursday for additional
comment.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.