We try to always write the articles in this magazine from the perspective of the loss prevention practitioner. Apart from the columns written by LP professionals, the four feature articles in this issue include quotes or references from 23 individuals.
In the feature on LP and IT collaboration, there is input from practitioners working for Bloomingdale’s, Brinker, Delhaize America, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Sears Holdings, and Walmart.
In Jim Lee’s interview with Scott Glenn, JD, LPC, of Sears Holdings, Glenn describes the responsibilities and accomplishments of his five direct reports who are contributing to the realignment of asset protection at the company.
In the article about the ongoing success of the Walmart asset protection organization at the world’s largest retailer, Mike Lamb, LPC, and three of his lieutenants discuss the evolution of loss prevention inside the company over the past several years.
And in the feature article on data analytics, three LP executives from retailers At Home, Five Below, and Price Chopper describe how moving from Excel sheets to modern data analysis systems have helped their companies drive profits and reduce loss.
We also have included the perspectives of chief executives from three LP solutions providers who offer their viewpoints on the pressures, problems, and possibilities for success and failure in 2017.
We appreciate all these professionals and those over the years who have given their time and insights to help inform and educate the industry. It’s remarkable that these individuals and their companies can put aside competition to help each other.
Bridging the Atlantic
Speaking of perspectives, for the past three years, LP Magazine Europe has been publishing articles about the asset protection and profit enhancement industry on the east side of the Atlantic Ocean. From my point of view, after fifteen years of publishing the North American version of LP Magazine, I find it most interesting to read how the strategies and tactics of retail LP professionals are at times similar and other times different on the two continents.
It’s not surprising there are differences given the varying cultures, business climates, and customer expectations. It’s also not surprising there are similarities given human nature that leads to theft and other human contributions to loss. And as our world shrinks with global supply chains, international retail operations, and e-commerce, the similarities today certainly outnumber the differences.
Over the past three years, our US-based print magazine has published several of the articles that were written and published in Europe. And our digital channel features other articles published in Europe. Vice versa, the European magazine often publishes US-written articles to give their readers the US perspective.
All this to say that both magazines contain content that is valuable to working practitioners on both sides of the Atlantic and across the globe. We invite you to subscribe free to both magazines via our digital channels. You can access the European content at LPportal.eu. For those who prefer the print editions, we are happy to mail the US magazine to Europe or the European magazine to North America for a small annual fee to cover the cost of shipping.
For those companies that supply products and services globally, you have two avenues for reaching your global users and prospects by taking advantage of our print and digital advertising platforms. We are happy to work with you to develop a customized program to meet your communications needs on both sides of the Atlantic.
As the world shrinks, loss prevention and retail operations will become more and more similar, changing the wide Atlantic Ocean to a metaphorical puddle. Today more than ever, we need to bridge the communication gap between the continents east-west and north-south to share technologies, strategies, and alternate perspectives to benefit the global retail industry.
