Reducing retail theft with Liverpool BID and Boots

Liverpool Business Improvement District (BID) have been supporting businesses across the city centre with collaborative security solutions that improve safety and confidence within retail environments.

Through this initiative, Liverpool BID engaged our Safer POD® solutions across multiple deployments.

Liverpool BID subsequently partnered with Safer Group to respond to a growing wave of shoplifting throughout retail premises in Liverpool city centre.

One of our deployments was to a Boots store in Clayton Square Shopping Centre, which was experiencing issues over the busy Christmas period with recurring opportunistic theft.

The theft was targeted around high-value product areas, particularly fragrance gift sets. To address this, Liverpool BID approached both us and the retailer to plan strategic deployments. This deployment looked to discourage opportunistic theft, increase staff confidence, and reinforce a proactive approach to safety within the store.

Both front of house staff and the store security team were experiencing pressure to act and reduce the losses in high-value products. The opportunistic theft that took place within the store was a recurring, notable issue.

The potential for friction in the experience of everyday shoppers had to be addressed, with both physical layout and the desire for coverage in the fragrance section of the store considered in determining the right solution.

Integration with the existing in-store security team also had to be considered, with an adjustment period for knowledge and understanding of the capabilities of the solution and its deterrent responsibility.

After a collaborative process between Safer Group, Boots, and Liverpool BID, a Safer POD® S1 was deployed as an in-store visible deterrent to shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

The Safer POD® S1 is a temporary modular solution capable of rapid deployment and, as a result, was live on site within minutes of arrival, avoiding being a disruptive presence within the active store environment.

Key results from the trial included:

• Boots saw a significant year-on-year improvement during the period the Safer POD® S1 was in place; losses within the fragrance department were improved by £20,000 compared to the previous year.

• Boosted colleague wellbeing and confidence, de-escalating situations with aggressive customers.

• Acted as a catalyst for stronger communication, reporting, and collaboration between businesses in the city centre.

Boots and Liverpool BID reported such a positive experience with the Safer POD® S1, that they have made enquiries to upgrade to the Safer POD® X1 with dynamic luminance technology for increased visual deterrence.

In addition to the success of the Safer POD® solution as a loss prevention tool, detection capability was also key. Staff found that they felt safer and more confident in challenging aggressive customers as they had the means to make them aware that they were being watched.

This, alongside the visual presence afforded by the device, provided an additional tool for de-escalation and support.

Liverpool BID further reported a holistic benefit through the partnership's formed by retailers, security teams, and city-wide safety networks.

The Safer POD® S1 acted as a catalyst for stronger communication, reporting and collaboration across the city centre which allowed other retailers to be wary of threats.