Frequent shoplifting of tools and DIY products

Tools and small gardening and DIY items number among the products that shoplifters mainly home in on. As explained in the Global Theft Barometer, a survey by Euromonitor International and Checkpoint Systems, the items stolen tend in general to be small and expensive and easy to sell on. Shrinkage worldwide costs the retail industry more than US $ 112 bn, which amounts to a 1.4 per cent share of sales. Of the 16 countries investigated, Brazil and Mexico have the highest rate of shrinkage at 1.6 per cent. The lowest level of losses is to be found in Germany, Australia and Hong Kong (1.1 per cent each), and in Japan (1.0 per cent). The main cause of shrinkage is shoplifting. However, employee or supplier fraud and internal administrative errors also result in losses.