Alcohol theft continues to be a significant driver of retail crime in the UK, not only in terms of frequency, but in financial cost and wider societal impact. The rise in alcohol theft is driven by its high resale value and additional related demand, with theft rings targeting premium alcohol brands for ready black‑market sale.
Retailers claim that thieves are frequently stealing alcohol for resale on grey-market platforms, with many targeting FSDUs at the end of aisles.
According to Harrison Retail, alcohol FSDUs are a prime target for shoplifting and must be safeguarded with loss prevention surrounds.
Rolf Whiteman, Sales Director at Harrison Retail, said: “FSDUs play a distinct role in retailers’ alcohol sale strategies, being tactically positioned at the end of aisles and are constantly at risk. Bespoke acrylic surrounds can protect promotional stock in FSDUs and are designed to limit access to high-value items such as alcohol. The surrounds act as a shell, preventing opportunistic thieves from taking more than one item at a time.
“Some locked cabinet solutions have sealed alcohol off from the customer completely. FSDU surrounds balance accessibility and security, preventing theft while allowing close product interaction and easy in-store assembly.”
Whiteman concluded: “Alcohol will always be a top target for theft across the UK retail industry, particularly in convenience stores. As a result, retailers are facing major financial and operational impacts, leading to an uptick in deployment of FSDU surrounds that limit the theft of high-value items. UK retailers must have loss prevention solutions in place, as the shop theft epidemic continues to plague retailers.”
