A chain of grocery stores in Europe said that collection losses will exceed the company’s profits in 2023, a report shows.
“We often catch people not scanning products, or not paying at the cash machine. People are getting more sophisticated about not paying for products. You sometimes fall in surprise to see how creative people take products without paying,” Ton van Veen, CEO of the Jumbo retail chain, told the Netherlands-based news channel ANP.
Jumbo is a retail chain with more than 700 locations operating in Belgium and the Netherlands. The company detailed in its earnings release that the value of goods stolen from store locations was 25% higher than the profits made last year, the NL Times reported.
The chain said that shoplifting typically leads to losses of 100 million euros ($110 million) each year, on top of an expected annual profit of around €80 million ($88 million) after tax in 2023.
“In many stores, losses due to stolen products now amount to about 1 percent of turnover, and store employees are faced with an unpleasant situation and increased tension,” the company said, according to NL Times.
The chain of retail stores in Europe said that the losses of collecting stores exceeded the profits made by the company in 2023, Getty Images Jumbo officials said that there was a 60% increase in shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to 2022. Mihail – stock.adobe.com
Jumbo officials said there was a 60% increase in shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to 2022, with the cost of living further fueling the flames of theft and crime, the Financial Times reported. The retail chain added that self-checkout has also contributed to the increase in stores, accounting for a third of theft.
“This is a growing problem, and we are appealing to politicians to address this,” Van Veen said, according to the NL Times.
“It also depends a lot on the neighborhood. There are areas of the market that we have more problems with, and there are areas that are less prevalent,” he continued.
To combat the crime trend, the supermarket boss 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 they know they are being recorded. We respect all privacy rules. As soon as we take concrete steps, we will provide more information on this matter,” Van Veen said, according to the NL Times.
Jumbo is a retail chain with more than 700 locations operating in Belgium and the Netherlands. Google Maps
Similar to a handful of US cities, areas in Europe have reported increases in retail theft in recent years.
A study published late last year found that four out of 10 people in Belgium will leave a grocery store with at least one item they didn’t pay for, the Brussels Times reported.
In the Netherlands, a study found that shoplifting incidents will increase by at least 15% in 2023, compared to the previous year.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jumbo’s press team on Thursday for additional comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
