Thieves hit on the market day: Sales car in sight!

Thieves hit on the market day: Sales car in sight!

On Wednesday, February 5, the market day in close abruptly for Nils Thenhaus, operator of a sales car ended. While he was temporarily distracted, theft occurred, in which the thieves took the opportunity to get behind the counter unnoticed. The daily revenue, which he had laboriously generated in his sales, were stolen. These incidents are part of a worrying trend that can be observed throughout the retail trade.

according to Westfalen Blatt is not the only dealer who is confronted with such challenges. The increase in thefts has increased in many sales outlets, which triggers uncertainty among dealers.

The rising numbers

The current situation is confirmed by the latest reports from the EHI Retail Institute. Last year, according to the data, there was an increase in shoplifting by 23.6 percent, with a total of 426,096 incidents registered. Compared to the previous year, in which there were still 344,669 cases, this shows an alarming development.

The increase in severe shoplifting is particularly striking, which has reached a maximum of 27,452 cases. Estimates indicate that around 24 million undiscovered shoplifting steels worth an average of 117 euros per incident. These undiscovered incidents add up to impressive figures, which also puts dealers like Thenhaus under pressure.

causes and effects

The definition of inventory differences not only includes thefts by customers, but also those by employees, suppliers or by organizational defects. The percentage inventory differences have increased, for example, in food retail, drugstores and clothing stores, which further tightens the problem.

As the EHI Retail Institute shows, the situation in the hardware stores has stabilized, while other industries often have difficulty reducing their inventory differences. Manufacturing by entrepreneurial inadequacies is becoming increasingly critical, which is not only harmful to the operational everyday life of single dealers, but also has an impact on pricing and profitability.

The increase in crime in the trade is a worrying signal, which in turn could lead to higher prices for the end consumers. Dealers like Nils Thenhaus have to develop innovative strategies in order to defend themselves against these new challenges and to ensure the safety of their income. The situation remains tense and urgently requires attention from those responsible.