Reuters

June 10, 2010

(Reuters) - Fewer retailers have had merchandise stolen by organized crime rings in the past 12 months, as they invest more money in prevention, a leading trade group said on Thursday.

A survey by the National Retail Federation found that 89.5 percent of retailers surveyed were victims of organized theft, down from 92.2 percent last year.

About 59 percent said they had seen an increase in theft activity in the last year, while 73 percent had reported a rise a year ago in the midst of the U.S. economic downturn.

Nearly half of the retailers surveyed said they were spending more money on awareness and prevention efforts, up from 41.8 percent a year ago.

Organized retail theft can mean the loss of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, gift cards, electronic goods and other popular products from stores. The thieves' methods range from sophisticated UPC code-swapping to blatantly grabbing the merchandise and running.

The goods are then often sold online, which led the NRF to team up with auction site eBay Inc in March to fight organized retail crime.

Retailers identified Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and New York as some of the cities where organized retail theft most affected their stores or distribution centers.

The NRF surveyed top theft prevention executives at 124 companies in April and May, including department stores, drugstores, discounters, restaurants and specialty retailers.