Organized retail crime still growing problem for retailers

Washington, D.C. Industry partnerships, concerned law-enforcement officers and resilient retailers have done their part in making a small dent in the growing problem of organized retail crime (ORC), but new research shows there’s still a lot of work to be done. According to NRF’s sixth annual ORC survey, 89.5% of retailers surveyed say their company has been a victim of ORC within the past 12 months, a slight decrease from last year’s 92.2%.

The survey also found that nearly six out of 10 (58.9%) retailers have seen an increase in ORC activity in the last 12 months, down from the nearly three-quarters (73.0%) who said so last year.

For the first time in the survey’s history, NRF asked retail executives to list cities where organized retail crime affects their stores and/or distribution centers most. The Top 10 cities in alphabetical order include: Baltimore/Washington, D.C./Northern V.A.; Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; New York/Northern New Jersey; Philadelphia; San Francisco; and Tampa/Orlando.