Health and Wellness brand Holland & Barrett is deploying undercover operatives to high-risk stores to combat rising retail crime. Guided by crime-reporting software Auror, the health retailer targets locations most vulnerable to organized shoplifting.
High-value items like Manuka honey, protein powders, and sports supplements are most targeted, with thieves often stealing them for black-market resale.
To boost store safety, Holland & Barrett invested in body-worn cameras, CCTV, and real-time incident tracking. Chief Executive Anthony Houghton called high street behaviour “just not acceptable,” adding it was “awful” to be forced into taking these measures.
Since rolling out Auror across its UK and Ireland stores, the retailer logged thousands of incidents involving theft, aggression, and violence, helping identify hundreds of repeat offenders.