Loss prevention is a global concern for the retail industry with many common challenges faced across the country and across the world. As long as we have venues where products and services are bought and sold we’re going to have those that will attempt to illicitly capitalize on those opportunities, seeking ways and means to take advantage through theft, fraud, and other forms of loss.
In today’s retail, loss prevention responsibilities have grown exponentially to meet the escalating needs of the business environment. We have branched into new and expanding areas to combat the spectrum of total retail loss. Yet while our needs continue to multiply, the loss prevention industry persists in seeking ways to find common ground where we can share ideas, intelligence, and best practices to overcome these challenges. By working together, we can stand apart. It’s this approach which has led to the establishment of the new Loss Prevention Furniture Alliance (LPFA).
“The concept of loss prevention is somewhat different in the furniture market, but that certainly doesn’t mean we don’t have our own concerns,” says Patrick Burns, vice president of loss prevention for Bob’s Discount Furniture. “There may be very few incidents of shoplifting, but we still face the challenges of internal theft, finance fraud, credit card issues, and logistics issues, as well as safety concerns as product is moved, shifted, lifted, loaded, and unloaded. By bringing together others with common needs and concerns for training, networking, and educational purposes we hope to create new partnerships and see better and more productive results.”
After a few months of preliminary networking, the LPFA was officially launched in December 2017 with its inaugural conference call. Participants have participated in additional phone sessions in which topics of e-commerce, card not present and logistics concerns have been discussed. The first in-person meeting was organized and held in early May at the Bob’s Discount Furniture Distribution Center in Shorewood, IL.
During the meeting, participants outlined their departmental structures, core responsibilities, opportunities and successes within this specialty retail vertical. Other topics included phone orders (card not present) fraud, general investigations, operational auditing, safety, logistics and inventory control.
The LPFA would like to express their thanks and gratitude the identity verification vendors that participated in and educated us on their products and services:
• Fraud Fighter / Uveritech
• Intellicheck
• Moby
LPFA Mission Statement
A network of dynamic loss prevention professionals, building business partnerships while serving their respective home furnishings retail and ecommerce verticals in improving profitability and reducing loss related to fraud, theft and operational practices.
The next conference call is tentatively scheduled for early July, with another face-to-face meeting planned for October. All loss prevention professionals who deal in the furniture industry are invited and encouraged to participate.
For general inquiries, additional information or to join this dynamic growing retail vertical group contact Patrick Burns at patrick.burns [at] mybobs.com
Pictured above, seated left to right are charter members: Tommy Walters – Director Asset Protection at Living Spaces, Jeff Popovich – Distribution LP Manager Bob’s Discount Furniture, Don Ward – Regional LP Manager American Signature Furniture, Mike Case – Director Loss Prevention Art Van Furniture.
Standing left to right are charter members: Patrick Burns – VP Loss Prevention Bob’s Discount Furniture, Joe Hlavac – Director Loss Prevention Bob’s Discount Furniture, Laura Donohoe – Regional LP Manager Art Van Furniture, Armando Martinez – Regional LP Manager Bob’s Discount Furniture and Mark Zibel – Regional LP Director Bob’s Discount Furniture.
