FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. — Over 530,000 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended — and more than $116 million worth of purloined goods recovered — at 23 major retailers in 2006, according to the 19th Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, a loss-prevention consulting firm here. In total, shoplifters and dishonest employees stole more than $6 billion in 2006 from these 23 major retailers, the survey reported. The 23 retailers comprise 14,118 stores, with combined 2006 annual sales in excess of $537 billion. “This is only the second time in the past 9 years where both the apprehensions and recovery dollars from shoplifters and dishonest employees has increased,” said Mark R. Doyle, president of Jack L. Hayes International, in a statement. “The seriousness of retail theft is a much greater problem than many people realize. The theft losses experienced by retailers are driving consumer prices higher, hurting our economy, and even forcing some retailers to close stores or go out of business.”
Read More of Today's Headlines
