The Year in LP

Happy New Year!

I am excited to be able to officially recognize LP advisory council chair Daniel Doyle as the recipient of the NRF Silver Plaque. This award recognizes distinguished individuals who have inspired the retail industry through their leadership, creativity, forward thinking and innovation. Vice president of loss prevention and human resources for Beall’s, Dan is a superb representative of his company, the LP advisory council and our industry. He will be honored during the NRF Annual and LP conferences in 2008.

In case you missed it
According to our second annual Return Fraud Survey, LP executives predicted that 8.93 percent of holiday returns would be fraudulent, up slightly from 8.67 percent in 2006. As a result, return fraud will cost retailers an estimated $3.7 billion during the holiday season.

I am encouraged that POS software companies and other service providers are developing new solutions to address return fraud and, following several large cases, law enforcement and prosecutors appear more willing to prosecute these often complex crimes.

In late October the Coalition Against Organized Retail Crime testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security in favor of legislation regarding ORC and eFencing (the sale of stolen and fraudulently obtained merchandise and/or gift cards). This was yet another opportunity to educate members of Congress about our growing concerns and the impact these crimes have on retailers, consumers and state tax revenues.

I would like to recognize and thank Brad Brekke, vice president of assets protection for Target, and Karl Langhorst, director of loss prevention for Randall’s Food Markets, for representing retailers and Det. David Hill of the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department for representing our law enforcement partners. Conversations with each side continue, and we hope to have some good news to report soon.

LP Conference update
Although it is still six months away, the NRF Loss Prevention Conference & Exhibition planning team is ready for action. This year we will be in Orlando from June 23-25, so take advantage of the early registration rates and book your hotel room.

Last year many of you nominated candidates for the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Award, LP Case of the Year and the Ring of Excellence. In addition, individuals and companies submitted photos and information about volunteer activities throughout the year, for the LP Volunteers in Action presentation. These programs recognize you, our partners in law enforcement and the former leaders throughout the industry.

Yes, it’s that time again: Please submit your nominations now. Visit www.LPInformation.com for all of the important details.

Thank you
I do not do this often enough, so please indulge my recognition of some important NRF colleagues for all of their support in pursuit of our collective accomplishments in 2007.

Angélica Rodriguez, Ron Akins and Jim Burger for supporting the vast array of LP activities.

Elizabeth Oesterle and Maureen Riehl for driving the LP efforts with legislators on Capitol Hill and in partnership with state retail associations.
The NRF communications team, particularly Scott Krugman, Ellen Davis and Kathy Grannis, for getting the word out to the media.

Hot tip
If you use a PDA, here’s a treat. Google just released version 2.0 of Google Maps. In addition to satellite maps and directions, they have added a new feature using cellular triangulation. The software can identify your location within a mile. Although GPS navigation is more accurate, this service is amazing for road warriors looking up nearby restaurants. Best of all, it’s free!