Uniting Your Organization To Combat ORC, Guest Series Part 1

By Andrew Wren, chief executive officer, Wren Solutions

While organized retail crime (ORC) has plagued retailers for years, its severity is more evident now than ever before. The results of the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Organized Retail Crime Survey shed light on the scope of ORC’s damaging effects.

In its eighth annual ORC Survey, the National Retail Federation revealed that organized retail crime is at its highest level since the survey began. Ninety-six percent of the 125 retail companies surveyed stated that they have been a victim of ORC in the past 12 months, up from 94.5% in 2011.

In addition, the survey pointed to a dramatic shift in the source of ORC loss and a trend toward violence associated with apprehending the culprits. Losses occurring between the distribution center and the store were up 19% from 2011 (57.4%) while retailers reported that 15% (13% in 2011) of organized retail crime apprehensions end in “some level of violence, such as physical assault and/or battery.”