Sensormatic lets retailers openly, safely display high-theft items

SINGAPORE — ADT announced today a comprehensive new line of Sensormatic safers with Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) capabilities. Also known as "keepers," this retail solution can help retailers protect a wide-range of high-theft products, such as batteries, razor blades, fragrances, DVDs, ink cartridges and health and beauty care items.

To prevent theft, retailers often keep these types of products protected behind counters or in locked cabinets that are inaccessible to customers without store employee assistance. With Sensormatic safers, however, retailers can give shoppers the freedom to openly select and purchase items on their own. In turn, a more convenient display of merchandise can create a more satisfying customer experience, which is vital to retail profits. The Sensormatic line of safers is available through ADT in most countries in Asia-Pacific, U.K., Europe and Latin America, then later this year in North America.

According to the 2008 Global Retail Theft Barometer, worldwide shrink amounted to almost $105 billion last year. This figure includes the theft of popular, smaller items that are easily-concealed and offer high resale street value. In a study from Retail Systems Research, "Loss Prevention and Beyond: Survival of the Fittest," sponsored by ADT's Sensormatic Solutions, retailers were asked about their most important loss prevention tools. In addition to giving video surveillance high rankings, 89 percent of respondents rated "low-tech" theft deterrents like safers as one of the critical tools in their arsenal. Together with acousto-magnetic EAS solutions, these technologies can offer retailers an important multi-layered approach to stopping theft.

Sensormatic safers provide retailers double security with two forms of protection. First, a safer locks the product in a secure housing that keeps thieves from the goods. Second, each Sensormatic safer includes an EAS element that will trigger the alarms of Sensormatic detection systems, should a thief try leaving the store with a safer-protected product. Sensormatic safers offer retailers many options for open yet secure merchandise presentations as safer- protected goods can be easily stacked on shelves or hung on pegged displays.