The Hall exists to recognize, celebrate, and reward those in and around the retail loss prevention industry, honoring achievement and excellence across a variety of categories. It is intended to celebrate the lifetime achievements of industry leaders who have contributed so much to benefit the industry they have served.
They have cut the path for those who have followed. They are leaders of innovation, design, process, and policy. They have led an exemplary career, been a master of mentoring, and they have shared with others to help elevate professionals in loss prevention, enhancing the the industry, giving back, and paying it forward, to those who follow.
Loss Prevention Team of the Year
The LP Team of the Year represents excellence in teamwork and performance across the retail organization. True business partners, this team strives to make an impact with each other and with their operational counterparts, to collaborate in driving success for everyone in the company, while contributing to the communities they serve.
Watch here to learn the 2021-2022 LP Team of the Year:
This Year’s Finalists
The 2021-2022 Finalists for the LP Team of the Year include:
Abercrombie & Fitch Asset Protection Team
As cliche and overused as “uncertain times” has become, retail through 2021 was undeniably a wild ride. Spiking demand, supply disruptions, up and down store traffic, and ever evolving health and safety protocols made for an unparalleled environment that pushed adaptability and resiliency to their limits. The A&F Asset Protection department, all-encompassing of retail loss prevention efforts, health & safety, brand protection, and fraud mitigation, was at the helm of guiding the business through these uncharted waters.
Despite the frequent chaos, the team worked tirelessly, prioritizing collaboration and optimism, to provide transparency and efficiency to the organization through disparate covid mandates, counter emerging fraud and risk challenges, and ultimately drive reductions in total retail loss while the company maximized on rising AUR categories.
We, in the industry, are often measured by the amount of bad things not happening, no news is good news. 2021 was not the time to use that unit of measurement; however, so many teams out there did so much since the onset of the pandemic. A&F truly exemplified this type of Show Up mentality and deserves to be recognized as a best in class.
CVS Health Asset Protection Team
Coming off what proved to be an incredibly challenging year for our industry in 2020, like many, CVS Health Asset Protection once again encountered unprecedented challenges in 2021 – and rose to the challenge in a big way. Throughout the year, the CVS Health AP team delivered meaningful financial and operational improvements through best-in-class shrink mitigation programs, investigative solutions, record-setting ORC case resolution, and exemplary partnerships, while continuing to invest in the personal development of all AP colleagues. These efforts supported the organization far exceeding all financial and operational goals in 2021.
More importantly, however, CVS Health AP colleagues also played an essential role in getting our nation back to work, back to our loved ones, and back to our everyday lives as Americans. In addition to driving the success noted above, the CVS team was pivotal in supporting the COVID-19 testing of more than 32 million Americans, as well as the vaccination of nearly 60 million people across the nation.
In 2021, CVS Health Asset Protection stepped up and succeeded in the face of increasing external and internal risks, unprecedented challenges, and an uncertain and increasingly complex business environment. Furthermore, this team has built its strategy for 2022 and beyond through the creation of colleague-driven Leadership Pillars. These pillars, anchored around the strategic focuses of the department, are operated by CVS Health AP colleagues to encourage everyone’s voice in shaping the department’s current and future agenda – across multiple dimensions.
PetSmart Field Loss Prevention and Safety Team
For almost two years now, overshadowed by a pandemic, and the unknown this team has been committed to our PetSmart Vision and Mission “We love pets, we believe pets make us better people. PetSmart is the trusted partner to pet parents and pets in every moment of their lives.” Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so that they can live more fulfilled lives.
We protect those that cannot protect themselves, this team made a difference with every action they took and overcame many obstacles along the way. The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life, attitude, to me is more important than facts or burning the midnight oil relentlessly. It is more important than the circumstances, than education, than money, than personal successes than what other people think say or do. It will make or break a company, a team, a department, a home, or the trust between individuals, business partners, peers, superiors, and direct reports.
The remarkable thing is, this team made the choice every day regarding their attitude and how they embraced everyday with optimism and purpose. We cannot change our circumstances…. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way during a pandemic. We cannot change the inevitable, the only thing we can do is play as on the one strength we have, and that is our attitudes. I am convinced that this team regardless of the challenges they faced came to win every day and every moment. The partnerships they built through their stewardship and support of their business partners is what in reality drove the business results. This team came prepared every day to win, they operated above the line, they grew our culture, they achieved results, they served others, and protected the company’s pets, people, and assets throughout these challenging times.
This team has overcome many of the challenges they faced over the last two years and that is because of one thing, their attitude! I want to recognize them for being a part of the solution, for your resiliency, for their dedication to their craft, and the organization!
They have made this a unique team, they are keepers of the culture, they get results in spite of while strengthen their relationships and the overall brand of PetSmart!
Office Depot Enterprise LP Team
The Office Depot Loss Prevention Team drives for best-in-class results through our “”5C Culture”” focusing on Customer, Commitment, Creativity, Caring, and Change. The team’s contributions go beyond shrink and safety, impacting key programs like our Start Proud events servicing teachers and students, and our Associate Resource Groups that foster diversity and inclusion. The team also supports a robust Sustainability Program through training and awareness helping to drive our “”green”” environmental goals.
The ODP LP team works at an Enterprise level. Geographically based team members have expertise in and support all areas of the businesses in their markets that include the Business Sales Division, Supply Chain, Retail, Military Stores, and regional Federation partners. This requires business acumen and partnership for the various internal customers’ specific needs. Strong strategic planning, an ability to adapt quickly, and a passion for supporting the team have resulted in best-in-class results.
Obstacles including the pandemic, rising ORC trends, staffing crises, and changing business trends have not slowed down the drive for results. Shrink has been reduced four years consecutively and now runs significantly below current retail trends. Safety numbers are all below industry benchmarks. With our Loss Prevention Mentorship Program, creating individual development plans for business segment managers, we are growing our future LP leaders to sustain and build upon amazing results.
The Home Depot Supply Chain Asset Protection Team
The THD SCAP team has managed through many challenges at a level never experienced at Home Depot history. Unprecedented volume , ongoing complexity with the advent of multiple distribution platforms and expansion of spoke and hub networks, while being committed to the safety of all associates during a pandemic. They have delivered gold standard safety, accuracy, and supply chain shrink numbers.
In addition, new facilities and expansions have been delivered on schedule with minimal or no defects. In order to negotiate the challenges SCAP leadership has prioritized the inverted pyramid, successful development and attention to the personal and career needs of each member of the SCAP Team. An amazing job by a selfless team during challenging times.
Ulta Beauty AP/ORC Team
This team strategically leverages technology to proactively target ORC offenders. They liaise with local and state LE agencies and prosecutors to bring cases against serial offenders. The arrests and prosecutions result in networks being taken down that are responsible for hundreds of thousands in losses to not only Ulta Beauty but other retailers as well.
