Kroger ex-CEO ordered to explain resignation

Rodney McMullen, the former longtime leader of Kroger, has been called before company stakeholders to clarify the abrupt and unexplained nature of his departure. Insiders suggest his exit follows a series of missteps that have put both his reputation and Kroger’s governance practices under scrutiny. As the grocery giant seeks stability, McMullen’s response may shape investor confidence and corporate oversight moving forward.

Local 12

Amazon hit with multibillion-dollar lawsuits over alleged unfair practices — here's what you need to know

Amazon faces a wave of lawsuits alleging anti-competitive practices and marketplace abuses, with plaintiffs seeking damages in the billions. The suits claim the e-commerce titan leveraged its platform dominance to stifle rivals and inflate fees for third-party sellers. As litigation stacks up, Amazon’s legal battles could redefine the balance of power in online retail.

Yahoo! News

Costco customers shocked after someone drains all the funds from their gift cards

A number of Costco digital gift card customers are reporting that their cards have been mysteriously drained of all their money. The big-box retailer has offered few details about what happened, and some affected customers, like Shelly Xu of Perth, Ont., are still struggling to get a refund. Xu says, in late June, she discovered roughly $200 missing from her Costco gift card, called a Shop card. 

CBC

​​​​​Trump’s latest tariffs part of ‘new normal’ for retailers, manufacturers

In response to newly announced tariffs on imported goods, U.S. retailers, manufacturers, and restaurant operators warn of looming cost pressures that could ripple through consumer prices. Many industry leaders are scrambling to reconfigure supply chains or absorb higher duties to avoid sticker shock at checkout. Their collective anxiety highlights the fragile interplay between trade policy and everyday business operations.

Supply Chain Dive

Senate hearing focuses on the need to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act

During a recently convened Senate hearing, lawmakers and retail executives pleaded for swift passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act to strengthen penalties and streamline federal investigation. Witnesses detailed how sophisticated theft rings have evolved into multimillion-dollar criminal enterprises, targeting essential supply chains and threatening local economies. With bipartisan support, the bill may be Congress’s best chance to curb a surge in retail crime.

NRF

 What LP Leaders Can

Learn from Surfers 

Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief
TalkLPnews
amber@talklpnews.com

I know it’s officially the end of summer because I start missing my trips to the beach (yes, I’m a Florida Beach girl by origin) and I know by how much I long for the school bell to ring again calling my pre-teen BACK TO SCHOOL!!

Anyways……..

As I sat in my beach chair this summer watching the surfers catch their waves, I started thinking about the principles of surfing. Granted, I don’t know what these are officially, but I feel like I made up some pretty good ones.

More specifically, I was thinking about how these principles apply to loss prevention professionals navigating the treacherous waters of retail leadership….much like the surfer sitting on their board, scanning the horizon. That moment of stillness before ocean chaos comes crashing in – you get to decide: Ride the wave like a pro and earn your seat at the executive table or take a nose dive into the salty abyss wondering what you’ll run into.

Reading the Water

Watch a seasoned surfer and you'll notice they don't just paddle out and grab the first wave that comes along. They sit. They watch. They read the water like a business leader reads market conditions. The good ones can tell you which opportunity will be worth pursuing, sometimes before it even forms.

The best LP executives I know have that same intuitive sense about their organizations. They're not just responding to shrink reports or reacting to the latest security trend. They're watching for shifts in company strategy, budget cycle patterns, and departmental dynamics that create opportunities to position loss prevention as a strategic business partner.

Take the LP director who noticed her company's push into omnichannel retail six months before the official announcement. While her peers focused on traditional store security, she was already building relationships with IT and operations. When the C-suite finally needed her expertise, she wasn't scrambling to catch up. She was positioned perfectly to stand up easily when the circumstance presented itself.

Waiting on the Water

Here's where the surfer analogy gets uncomfortable: surfers wait. Sometimes for hours. In a corporate environment where every meeting feels urgent, patience isn't just undervalued, it's often career suicide.

But here's what I've learned covering this industry: the LP leaders who try to insert themselves into every business conversation exhaust their credibility and accomplish nothing meaningful. They're burning through political capital, constantly pitching new programs, making themselves irrelevant because they mistake visibility for value.

The real players understand that timing is everything. They know when to hold back on budget requests until the CFO is in the right mindset, when to propose initiatives during strategic planning cycles, when to stay quiet while other departments struggle with problems that LP could solve.

Following the Rhythm of the Ocean

Corporate dynamics follow rhythms just like the ocean. The best LP professionals have learned to read these shifting conditions with intuitive understanding. They know that Q4 conversations differ from budget planning season, that new CEO transitions create different opportunities than established leadership, that economic pressures change how other departments view risk and investment.

I remember interviewing an LP executive who transformed his role during a major company restructuring. While other security leaders worried about budget cuts, he stepped back and studied the bigger picture. He noticed the company struggling with supply chain visibility and customer experience metrics. By repositioning his team's analytical capabilities to support these broader business objectives, he didn't just survive the restructuring. He emerged with expanded responsibility and a direct report relationship to the COO.

The Point of No Commitment

Surfers call it the "point of no commitment." It’s that moment when you've paddled for a wave but can still back out. After that point, you're committed whether you like it or not.

In corporate loss prevention, these moments happen constantly. The decision to champion a new technology investment. The choice to challenge another department's strategy. The moment when you decide whether to support a risky business initiative or voice concerns that might label you as "difficult."

The LP leaders who consistently advance their careers have developed an almost supernatural sense for these moments. They know when they have enough organizational support to move forward and when they need to build more coalition.

When Your Wave Comes

But here's the thing about surfers: when their wave comes, they don't hesitate. All that patience, all that careful observation is preparation for the moment when action becomes essential and delay means missing the opportunity entirely.

The same goes for exceptional loss prevention leadership. When the right business opportunity presents itself, when the perfect moment to propose a strategic initiative emerges, that's when all the patience and preparation pay off.

I've watched LP directors become Chief Risk Officers because they recognized the right moment to expand their influence. I've seen security managers transform organizational cultures by waiting for exactly the right business cycle to demonstrate their strategic thinking. A fantastic example is Scott McBride of American Eagle, take a listen to my podcast with him for specific examples in, “Is it a Tank or a Farmer?”

Wait for Your Wave

Surfing teaches you to think in sets, not individual waves. In loss prevention leadership, this translates to thinking strategically about your career and your department's evolution rather than just tactically about today's security challenges.

The LP leaders who build real careers in this industry, who earn genuine respect from the C-suite, are the ones who learned early to play the long game. They understand that some organizational battles aren't worth fighting because they distract from winning the bigger strategic positioning war.

Twenty years of covering this industry has taught me that the difference between good loss prevention professionals and great business leaders isn't about security expertise. It's about judgment. It's about knowing when to engage and when to observe, when to lead and when to support.

The next time you're facing a complex business challenge, try thinking like a surfer. Read the organizational conditions. Watch for the patterns. Wait for your wave.

When it comes, you'll know.

Do you have a different take? Let me know your thoughts - hate it? Love it?

Tell me here.

Rebuilding Inventory Resilience: What June's Revised Wholesale Data Reveals About U.S. Supply Chain Health

AInvest

FMI welcomes FDA’s extension of the food traceability rule compliance date

Today, FMI expressed 

support for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed extension of the compliance deadline for the Food Traceability Rule to July 2028.

However, it also urges the FDA to consider further adjustments to facilitate smoother implementation.

FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin provided the following statement:

 “FMI is grateful for FDA’s recognition of the need to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule, which is the most complex regulation the food industry has ever faced.

MMR

Millington Kroger closes early after counterfeit money found

Choosing a People Counting System – How to Pick the Best Solution

Person count is an important metric to track for stores and properties that receive a large amount of foot traffic throughout the day or week.

Having the ability to monitor the number of people entering a business can uncover new operational insights. By analyzing the data from a people counting system, retailers will be able to identify areas of business that could be streamlined for optimal customer engagement and experience as well as how the physical space is being traveled.

In this article, we’ll cover why people counting is vital to track for retail business, as well as how to find the best people counting solution.

Confidence in cybersecurity holds in face of retail attacks

Businesses remain overwhelmingly confident in the value of cybersecurity despite the recent high-profile cyberattacks on retailers, a survey has shown.

GlobalData’s Tech Sentiment Polls Q2 2025 survey, carried out across the company’s network of B2B news websites between April and June, found that 85% of respondents believe either that cybersecurity will live up to all of its promise or that there is some use for it.

In terms of the impact the technology is expected to have, 69% of respondents suggested it would either significantly or at least slightly disrupt their industries.

Verdict

Publix thief brings young child to shoplift and slugs woman who confronts her about crime: PCSO

A woman is accused of stealing more than $100 worth of merchandise from a Publix store with a young child in tow. 

The backstory:
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on July 5 at the Publix store located at 1200 Champions Drive near Davenport. 

Investigators said the suspect stole approximately $125 worth of merchandise from the store.

When a woman confronted the suspect about the theft, deputies said the suspect intentionally struck the victim twice, then pushed her.

FOX13 News

Wakefern Food Corp. buying NYC grocery chain Morton Williams

Wakefern Food Corp., the cooperative behind ShopRite, is set to acquire Morton Williams, marking a bold expansion into Manhattan’s upscale grocery market.

Chain Store Age

Our Area Loss Prevention Managers are strategic leaders who safeguard store assets and drive profit by identifying and mitigating loss and risk across a portfolio of locations. You will collaborate with cross-functional partners to investigate fraud, validate loss prevention programs, and coach high-performance teams to excellence while ensuring a seamless, safe shopping experience. Leveraging data to set priorities, you’ll execute operational initiatives, attract and develop top talent, and champion a culture of integrity and customer focus. The ideal candidate brings at least five years of multi-unit loss prevention leadership, effective communication skills, and the ability to travel frequently and work a flexible schedule.

Technology Primer: Building the digital foundation for retail transformation

Retail is undergoing a digital transformation, reshaping the in-store experience through data-driven tech and intelligent infrastructure.

As stores take on new role, from fulfillment hubs to immersive brand experiences, retailers are investing in connected systems that enhance operational efficiency, improve customer engagement and unlock new sources of insight.

Infrastructure upgrades, emerging applications and enabling tech are powering the shift toward smart stores, as connectivity, internet of things, edge computing and AI redefine the retail environment.

S&P Global

Rethinking Retail Loss Prevention Without Compromising the Experience

Retailers today face an impossible-sounding mandate: reduce rising shrink, ensure employee and shopper safety, and do it all while preserving a frictionless, welcoming experience.

But for many, the solutions that aim to stop theft have created a new kind of barrier—one that drives away customers, frustrates employees, and makes stores feel more like fortresses than places to shop.

At Gatekeeper Systems, we believe loss prevention and positive customer experience can—and must—coexist.

Brought to you by Gatekeeper