Bolstering Life Safety, Security and Loss Prevention for Organizations Around the World
In a landmark move to enhance global safety, security, and loss prevention, Gatekeeper Systems, a pioneer in intelligent theft prevention solutions, is thrilled to announce the addition of FaceFirst, a leading provider of face-matching technology as a wholly owned subsidiary. The merged company will advance the goal of providing safer places for valued customers, employees, and associates.
“Combining forces is a natural next step. FaceFirst has been a respected peer and an important part of the retail loss prevention ecosystem that our mutual customers are actively building”, said Robert Harling, CEO of Gatekeeper Systems. He continues, “The synergy between our technologies amplifies our capabilities, essentially making one plus one equal three in terms of innovation and effectiveness in life safety and loss prevention.”
This strategic move not only expands Gatekeeper Systems’ product offerings but also reinforces its commitment to developing cutting-edge solutions that address the evolving challenges of retail safety and theft. The integration of FaceFirst brings Gatekeeper Systems additional expertise in effective and efficient AI deployment, thought leadership in consumer privacy, and well-earned relationships and reputations amongst their varied customers.
Robert Harling will serve as the CEO of the merged companies. “This merger is a powerhouse move in the retail safety sector,” Robert Harling commented. “FaceFirst's expertise complements our mission perfectly, enhancing our combined ability to protect people, products, and profits.”
FaceFirst President Dara Riordan will retain that leadership role and serve as senior vice president of business development for the combined company. “The combined value of our solutions has already proven successful, and we are eager to innovate together,” Riordan said. “Our complementary solutions create a seamless detect, deter, and defend process. We are thrilled about the opportunity to unite and drive greater value, impact, and performance.”
Definitely an exciting development within the solution provider community with two industry best-in-class solutions coming together for mutual benefit. Seems like a fantastic step in the ever-evolving conversation about creating and maintaining an "ecosystem" of technology that truly delivers an internal rate of return for your organizations. Excited to see what's next as these two join forces and to see how the industry responds!
Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada in exchange for more border enforcement -- President Trump has decided to hit the snooze button on additional tariffs for Canadian imports for 30 days after a chat with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau, in a bid to keep the tariffs at bay, promised a $1.3 billion border plan, a fentanyl czar, and beefed-up border security with new tech and personnel. Trump, sticking to his guns, insists Canada hasn't done enough to stop illegal drugs and migrants from crossing into the U.S. Meanwhile, Canadian provinces are threatening to pull American booze off their shelves in retaliation.[Fox News]
Middle-class shoplifting: how bougie bandits got in on the act --In Surrey, well-off, middle-aged women are being blamed for a surge in shoplifting, with shop owners forming WhatsApp groups to share CCTV footage of these posh pilferers. These middle-class thieves are mostly targeting big supermarket chains, swiping everything from organic leeks to smoked salmon. The rise in middle-class shoplifting is attributed to a sense of entitlement and the ease of self-checkout systems, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. Overall, shoplifting incidents in the UK have skyrocketed, costing retailers billions. [THE WEEK]
Surge in executives hiring personal security after United Healthcare CEO murder - The calculated killing of a health insurance company executive in December was caught on surveillance cameras. In the hours after, panicked requests poured into security firms. Some companies are hiring armed security officers to help keep C-suite execs safe. Others are relying on technology for personal safety. This surge in security requests came after a weekday morning murder in midtown Manhattan. Luigi Mangione now faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted of federal murder charges in the December 4th killing of United Healthcare's chief executive, Brian Thompson. [ABC Eyewitness News]
I’m not an insecure person. In fact, I consider myself quite the contrary. And yet, lately, I’ve found myself grappling with a glitch in my operating system. It hasn’t been seismic enough to knock me off-kilter, but it’s a blip to my confidence worth exploring.
Recently, I was invited to speak at a summit on a topic I’m deeply passionate about. It just so happened that I’d be sharing the stage with a long-time idol of mine. I accepted immediately and started shaping my keynote to align with the organization’s vision.
Twenty-four hours later, I was uninvited.
It was a mistake, they said. A miscommunication. They already had another speaker. Whoopsie. Sorry.
I hung up the phone and decided I didn’t buy it. They aren’t that unorganized. So that left only one plausible explanation: they hate me.
That is seriously the story I was telling myself. I wove an intricate narrative with a full subplot and antagonist. I had no actual information to support this plotline, but my suspicion was enough to add more fuel. In the absence of facts, I crafted a work of fiction so detailed it could have been optioned for a Netflix drama.
"I agree Chris. It gave me the option to turn off politically minded content. Hopefully it works."
-- Tristen Shields, Global VP, Asset Protection, luluemon
"Agreed. It’s disappointing, but unfortunately inevitable on any social media platform. Plus one on Tristen’s comment. Also, keep posting meaningful content that uplifts and connects the industry."
-- Brian Friedman, Director of AP & Risk Management, REI
"You hit the nail on the head. Expressing your political views or personal beliefs can also block future opportunities if you aren’t careful."
-- Ronell Franklin, Starbucks
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Customers who use the CVS Health app will soon be able to unlock the shelves themselves by simply scanning a barcode found on the app.
It’s a pilot program currently taking place at three New York City stores.
The pharmacy says the new technology is being used to hopefully save customers time by allowing easier access to merchandise.
Target, Executives Face Shareholder Lawsuit Over DEI Initiatives
Target has been sued for allegedly concealing the risks of its diversity and social initiatives, leading to a backlash that caused customers to flee and the stock price of the Minneapolis-based retailer to plummet.
In a proposed class action on Friday, shareholders led by the City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund in Florida said Target defrauded them into paying inflated prices for its stock and unknowingly supporting management's "misuse of investor funds to serve political and social goals."
The lawsuit said the retailer, CEO Brian Cornell and other officials failed to disclose the risk of consumer boycotts stemming from Target's Environmental, Social and Governance and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
Survey notes top retail industry challenges in 2025
A retail executive survey by Deloitte found a majority of respondents expect climate change, increasing price wars and retail theft among the biggest concerns in 2025. Other challenges included changing consumer spending habits that complicate demand forecasting.
The survey was conducted before President Donald Trump announced broad tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico.
In a separate survey of consumers, Deloitte found 80% of respondents prefer spending on experiences over goods in 2025, while 71% said they plan to increase the use of generative AI when shopping. Social media is also a growing platform for consumer purchases as 68% said they plan to increase social commerce purchases. Other sticky behaviors are also hanging over from 2024, with 67% saying they will shop more frequently with smaller basket sizes and 56% will continue to value lower prices over brand loyalty.
CargoNet launches tool to protect cargo and drivers
Keith Lewis, vice president of operations for Verisk CargoNet, is a fan of the University of Georgia football team, and right before the UGA vs. Florida game, there’s a rash of high-end alcoholic beverages stolen off the I-95 corridor.
“We seem to have a lot of thefts around certain types of sporting events,” Lewis said. “That's creating the pull for the for the bad guy because they know they can steal that commodity because of this event coming up, and they can make some big money.”
When a carrier ships a load of paper products from Chicago to Los Angeles, the trailer being broken into when parked in a high-risk area is likely, but a thief probably won’t steal anything. If it’s a load of electronics, energy drinks or alcohol, however, the risk of theft is much greater.
When did we become a nation of shoplifters? Back in the '90s, arresting shoplifters was a cop's daily grind, but now, with police numbers slashed by 44,000 since 2010, it's a different story. Shoplifting has skyrocketed to 20.4 million incidents, and violence against shop workers is up 50%. The police are stretched thin, prioritizing more severe crimes like domestic violence and knife crime.
Reporting to the Director of International Asset Protection, this critical leadership role in the Global Asset Protection Department will be responsible for our EMEA retail business unit. Acting as a trusted and seasoned leader and subject matter expert, the Senior Manager will lead a team who are charged with ensuring lululemon remains the safest place to work in the retail sector and responds to an evolving risk landscape.
TalkLP Podcast host Amber Bradley gets NRF’s LP Council Chair and Chief Global Asset Protection Officer and CSO at American Eagle Outfitters Inc., Scott McBride, in the hot seat during the NRF BIG SHOW in NYC! They dive right into retail’s future in 2026, discussing real-time inventory and the diversification of supply chains, how LP is the 2nd highest industry user of AI, and the move to the Total Retail Loss methodology.
Scott also offers insights into the staggering statics surrounding Millennials and GenZ consumers and their perspective towards retail theft. His motto: Internal or external, you have to meet the customer where they are. Amber may have also coined herself as the Barbara Walters of LP News! Listen now!
Connect with Scott here and check out the podcast from 2022 mentioned today here.
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Video captures man installing credit card skimmers in Detroit-area stores. Here’s how to protect your cards from fraud
Two Save A Lot stores in Detroit were recently targeted by criminals who managed to stealthily install credit card skimming machines at the cash registers. The criminals also targeted a third store but were chased away by the owner.
"They know what they're doing," Britton Foreman, digital forensics expert for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, shared with WXYZ Detroit. “They're not new to this game and they're very smart with how they do it.”
Given how easy it is to be targeted by skimming, it’s important to know what to look out for. Otherwise, your debit or credit card number could easily get into the wrong hands.
Menards employee in Wisconsin dies after parking lot incident, investigation underway
A man in southern Wisconsin reportedly died after getting pinned between two cars in a parking lot of Menards.
According to the Burlington Police Department, on February 2, around 9:10 p.m., a report came in regarding an accident in the parking lot of a Menards. A person was reportedly pinned between two vehicles.
When authorities got to the scene, the man who was reportedly pinned was pronounced dead at the scene. The initial investigation reportedly showed that everyone involved in the incident was employed at Menards.
The release says they were leaving a work meeting and the victim was trying to remove items from the trunk when he was hit by another co-worker’s vehicle.
The evolving role of tech and AI in sustainable supply chain management
The pandemic spurred great volatility in the ecommerce market for retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers. At Priory Direct, managing fluctuations in the sustainable packaging market has always been extremely challenging, particularly with our customer base of 21,000 businesses, primarily retailers. You either risk running out of stock and losing customers, or you pay large sums to store excess stock. As such, we are always exploring ways to harness technology and AI to better anticipate customer needs and improve how we manage our stock. Greater efficiency also leads to better environmental outcomes, by minimizing excess stock and half-empty lorry journeys.
Police Conduct Retail Theft Operation That Snags 8 Alleged Thieves
San Francisco police arrested eight people for organized crime and retail theft on Tuesday. Officers from Ingleside Station pre-planned an operation with plainclothes and uniformed officers at a retail business on the 3300 block of Mission Street, due to a high frequency of shoplifting incidents at the store.
Police arrested and cited seven adult suspects for allegedly shoplifting. One suspect was booked at San Francisco County Jail for outstanding warrants in addition to the theft allegation.
Officers seized the stolen property and returned it to the stores.
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