Key Results of the 2006 European Retail Theft Barometer from the
Centre for Retail Research show Good and Bad Results

The average shrinkage rate (stock loss from crime or wastage), which has fallen annually since 2002, fell only slightly in Europe from 1.25% to 1.24% of turnover. Even so, this loss was equivalent to €29 038 million or €71.23 per head for all 24 countries surveyed.

The largest reduction in shrinkage was in the UK once again (down from 1.77% in 2002 to 1.33% in 2006). Other reductions were seen in Italy, The Netherlands, and Portugal. There were significant increases in central European states, Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden.

Britain no longer has the highest shrinkage rate in Western Europe (it is number 3).

Retailers perceived customer thieves to be responsible for 48.8% of shrinkage, employees for 30.7% and suppliers for 6.2%. Internal error, process failures and pricing mistakes were thought to cause 14.3% of shrinkage, meaning that now 85.7% of shrinkage is crime-related.

Retailers express increasing concern about theft by staff. Countries with the largest proportion of staff theft are UK, Denmark, Finland and Norway, and by Poland and Hungary in Central Europe. The lowest proportions of staff theft are found in Greece, Portugal and Switzerland.

The overall average shrinkage in Central European states has increased to 1.35% from 1.32% last year, led by the Baltic States and Poland, although Slovakian shrinkage was unchanged.

Significant increases in security spending were seen, the 2006 cost of retail security in Europe was €7983 million

The Report provides new information about RFID, source tagging and the methods used to protect most-stolen lines.

New data of the most-stolen items is included in the Centre for Retail Research website Shoplifter's Hit Parade source of report: www.retailresearch.org