The Role of AI and Video Analytics in Retail Security and Operational Strategy

Retailers are increasingly adopting AI-powered video analytics to combat shrinking profits and organized retail crime. These systems go beyond security—automatically detecting suspicious behavior, identifying theft in real time, and even analyzing customer flows. By integrating predictive analytics and behavioral insights, stores can streamline staffing, optimize layouts, and react promptly to incidents, effectively uniting loss prevention with enhanced operational efficiency.

Security Info Watch

Retail Resilience Amidst Uncertainty

William Blair’s analyst Phillip Blee explores how today's unpredictable trade landscape—including rising tariffs and strained supply chains—is shaping retail strategies. Executives are planning for significant tariff impacts (up to 30%), diversifying supply away from China toward Southeast Asia, and cautiously managing inventory levels. Consumers remain surprisingly resilient, yet are becoming more selective, pushing retailers toward cost optimizations, vendor negotiations, and strategic price increases to protect margins.

William Blair

Amid the terror of smash-and-grab mobs, is retail theft actually up?

Viral video footage of masked thieves smashing through retail glass to grab luxury goods paints a shocking image—but is the trend really spiking? The article examines high-profile smash-and-grab incidents (e.g., Tustin jewelry store hit for ~$87k, Gucci store targeted in Costa Mesa), and questions whether these dramatic events reflect a broader surge in retail theft or fuel public anxiety—prompting calls for better data-driven assessments over headline-driven fear.

OC Register

Los Angeles business owners 'sick and tired' of 'stupid' anti-ICE rioters looting their stores

Anger is boiling over in Los Angeles as local business owners speak out against escalating riots they say have nothing to do with immigration protests and everything to do with opportunistic looting. Storefronts from major chains to small, uninsured shops like Nathan’s Jewelers and Bargain2Perfumes have been ransacked, with owners blaming a lack of leadership and calling for arrests and accountability. While President Trump has deployed troops to restore order, California leaders like Governor Newsom are pushing back, arguing the unrest has been exaggerated and federal intervention is unjustified.

FOX News

Popular retail sites spoofed to pilfer payment details

Cybercriminals have launched a global phishing campaign by cloning high-profile retail and payment platforms—like Apple, Nordstrom, Michael Kors, and PayPal—to harvest payment info. These counterfeit sites mimic genuine checkout flows to trick users into entering credit card details. The attacks, traced to suspected Chinese threat actors, remain active, underscoring how phishing now weaponizes trust in familiar brands.

SC World

Fire erupts inside store after vandals throw fireworks behind checkout counter

Officials in Tennessee are investigating after they said suspects set off fireworks inside a convenience store Saturday afternoon.

The Memphis Police Department said the act was caught on surveillance video.

They are now trying to identify the suspects.

Police said a clerk was checking a customer out at Chelsea Food & Fuel when he felt something bounce off his shirt.

The object the clerk felt ended up being one of several lit fireworks thrown over the counter. The fireworks went off behind the check out, creating a fire and heavy smoke.

WLBT 3 News

$1 million in cash in a downtown L.A. bodega: Inside the crackdown on retail theft 'fences'

They entered the stores with shopping bags already full and left empty-handed, sometimes counting cash.

Watching the transactions unfold in downtown Los Angeles were plainclothes detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who suspected the stores, Quickmart and Big Apple, were buying and reselling stolen goods, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by The Times.

When deputies raided the stores in February, they found allegedly shoplifted shaving cream, sunscreen and mouthwash — and $1 million inside a safe, said Det. Yesenia Olvera, who led the investigation.

MSN

Police search for armed robbers who shot store clerk at Dollar General in Birmingham

WVTM 13 News

John Lowry

Dir, Sales Engineering

OpenEye

Faster Incident Response Through Cloud Video

OpenEye Web Services (OWS) provides actionable intelligence that delivers significant time savings and ensures you can respond more quickly to the events that matter most.

Our powerful video security platform equips businesses with cloud-based features built to assist during incident response, including:

• Proactive Alerts: Get visual verification of events tied to AI-powered video analytics and business system events via phone or email.
• Secure Clip Sharing: Streamline investigations by sharing video securely with law enforcement, insurance agencies, or other internal and external parties in seconds.
• Intelligent Search: Search for persons or vehicles with specific attributes such as color, or search for objects with similar characteristics in existing video events.
• Event Timeline: View recorded video alongside an intuitive timeline with events shown clearly by type.
• Cloud-based Maps: Track the armed state of locations, view devices, and receive event alerts all on a visual map, easily importable from Google or floorplans.
• Remote Access: Protect people and assets from wherever you and your team are with powerful web, mobile, and desktop remote clients.

Register for our upcoming webinar where OpenEye's Director of Sales Engineering John Lowry will discuss how OWS' incident response tools help streamline investigations, enhance operations, and better protect your people and assets.

Harrowing moment Utah strip mall explodes after cars crash into store

A Utah strip mall erupted like a volcano after a multi-car crash caused a fire inside the complex, leaving three people injured, police said.

Shocking video of the aftermath shows first responders trying to combat the flames at the strip mall in Herriman on Saturday night when the flames suddenly spout from the roof in a terrifying roar.

NY Post

Man shot by girlfriend's friend outside store in West Philly, police say

A man told police that his girlfriend's friend shot him in a confrontation that happened outside a corner store in West Philadelphia early Sunday.

According to police, the incident happened at about on Sunday, when a man was shot on the sidewalk outside a corner store located along the 5400 block of Wyalusing Avenue.

The man, officials said, told responding officers that he believed he was shot by his girlfriend's friend.

NBC 10 News

H&M joins growing list of retailers giving staff bodycams to combat theft

H&M has become the latest retailer to equip staff with body cameras as part of efforts to tackle soaring shoplifting and violent attacks on workers.

The Swedish fashion giant is piloting the technology at three stores amid growing concerns about organized theft and abuse in shops.

A H&M spokesman told This is Money: “We’re testing this new technology in a three-store pilot to assess what beneficial impact it may have

Retail Gazette

Director, Divisional Asset Protection, Supply Chain - Walmart

The Director of Divisional Asset Protection for Supply Chain at Walmart will provide overall direction by developing asset protection strategies and business objectives. This role involves analyzing objectives, creating and implementing business strategies, and ensuring compliance with various safety and security standards.

This position is located at the Corporate Office in Bentonville, Arkansas and requires travel in support of a Division of Walmart's Supply Chain Grocery Network. Applicant's with expertise in leading safety, security and compliance teams in a refrigerated warehouse environment are encouraged to apply.

Safe and Open: Rethinking Retail Loss Prevention Without Compromising the Experience 

Locked cases and restrictive access may deter theft—but they’re also driving customers away. In our latest insights article, “Safe and Open,” we explore a smarter approach to retail loss prevention—one that protects profits, people, and the shopper experience.

Learn how Gatekeeper Systems’ Purchek® solution quietly stops pushout theft without confrontation, while FaceFirst AI-enabled face matching helps identify repeat offenders in real time. Together, these technologies offer a dual-layered, intelligent defense that keeps stores open, safe, and welcoming.

Behind the Scenes: Grocery Store Protocols During Food Recalls

When a food recall notice arrives at a grocery store, a meticulously coordinated sequence of events unfolds to protect consumer safety.

This process, governed by regulatory compliance and internal protocols, prioritizes swift containment and transparent communication.

Upon receiving a recall notice, typically issued by agencies like the FDA, USDA, or suppliers, stores activate a predefined recall management plan. 

FP News

Retail Technology News: June update

Retailers in June 2025 focused technology efforts in areas including delivery robots, seasonal sales extravaganzas and associate AI empowerment.

Here are some of the most noteworthy and innovative technology stories as reported by Chain Store Age in June, starting with the most recent. 

Chain Store Age

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