Italian supermarket chain Alì Supermercati has come up with an innovative initiative aimed at reducing cases of shoplifting in its stores.
The new initiative, currently being tested in two stores in Padua, will see photographs of shoplifters displayed at the entrances, for customers and employees alike to view.
The first pictures have already appeared, showing two women, whose faces have been magnified but pixellated, taking products off shelves.
Staff at Alì’s Terranegra store report that petty theft has increased dramatically in recent times, reports local daily Il Mattino di Padova. The culprits are nearly always women, it added.
According to the retailer, this is not a new anti-theft strategy, but rather a deterrent. All thefts are promptly reported to the police and four investigative agencies.
Alì Supermercati operates 105 sales points in Italy’s Veneto and Emilia-Romagna regions.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
