Cosentino's Food Stores' 346% ROI and loss prevention transformation with Retail Crime Intelligence

Until 2024, family-owned Kansas City grocer Cosentino’s Food Stores had explored several solutions and vendors to address its loss prevention needs, but those efforts became increasingly unsustainable amid rising retail crime and violence.

Their previous case management system offered broken promises of crime linking and poor customer service causing Cosentino’s to reach a breaking point. Top of the list of challenges to address was decreasing the amount of time spent on event reporting and improving collaboration with law enforcement.

Now, in 2026, they have a “seamless” partnership with Auror that has helped them:

• Achieve an incredible 346% return on investment (ROI)

• Cut their reporting time by 90%

• Significantly improved their ability to deliver event reports and evidence to police

Read more here
 

'Cargo Theft Prevention Starts Before a Carrier is Ever Dispatched'
How thieves move $1m in freight before anyone realizes it

When high-value freight moves without added controls, exposure starts before the shipment does

A recent Los Angeles bust uncovered more than $1 million in stolen merchandise, including high-demand brands like Alo and Skims. According to a report from ABC7 Los Angeles, the products were already moving through resale channels before authorities intervened. That detail matters because it shows how quickly stolen goods can be absorbed into secondary markets once they leave the shipper’s control.

This type of event is often labeled as organized retail theft, but that framing misses where the exposure actually begins. The products targeted were recognizable, easy to resell, and widely accepted across online marketplaces. This creates a predictable risk profile, and when freight like this moves through standard processes without additional controls, it becomes easier for bad actors to step in, redirect, or extract value without immediate detection. The issue shifts from the act of theft to how early control is lost in the process.

Prevention starts before a carrier is ever dispatched. High-value and high-liquidity freight should not move through the same workflow as standard shipments because the risk profile is fundamentally different. Shippers need to apply risk-based handling that tightens carrier selection, limits exposure to unknown parties, and requires stronger validation before a load is ever tendered, especially when the product itself can be monetized quickly.

In this case, apparel, small electronics, and household brands were targeted because they move fast, require no additional processing, and blend into legitimate resale channels without raising concern. That combination makes them ideal for rapid liquidation and increases the importance of controlling access before the shipment ever begins.

Information flow is where many of these events start to take shape. Rate confirmations, pickup numbers, and facility details are often shared through unsecured or easily intercepted channels. Once that information is exposed, it allows someone else to step into the shipment without needing physical access to a facility. Controlling how load details are delivered and who can access them reduces the opportunity for that handoff to happen unnoticed, and the growth of live-stream marketplaces has shortened the time between theft and resale, allowing stolen goods to be liquidated in hours rather than days, often before a claim is even filed. freightwaves.com


Worldwide Robberies Fueled by Pokémon Cards
Pokémon cards are igniting an international crime spree
Since the pandemic, the market for Pokémon cards has exploded and with it, a surge of worldwide robberies. This year alone, collectible shops from Las Vegas and New York City to those in Vancouver, Canada, and Nottingham, England, have all been hit, totaling over $500,000 in stolen cards.

“Targeting card stores for these (Pokémon) cards is kind of popping up. It’s a concern when we start to see a trend in something like this,” said Paul Walker, a police sergeant in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

The value of Pokémon cards, which has more than doubled over the past year, makes them an attractive target. But it’s their compact nature that makes them a lucrative heist with relatively low effort.

“The robbers can take a handful of cards, which can represent thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, and literally fit it right in their pocket,” said Nick Jarman, CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association. “The resale is extremely fast. It’s high liquidity.”

The recent rise in theft could be related to the leadup to Pokémon’s 30th anniversary in February.

Since then, the franchise’s flagship trading cards have only risen in value. The value of Pokémon cards has risen by more than 145% over the past year, with buyers spending $450 million this January alone, according to data from trading card analytics website Card Ladder. In February, influencer and wrestler Logan Paul sold one card for a record $16.5 million.

Stealing high-value Pokémon cards can have a fast and big payoff, but the crime can also carry a hefty sentence. In many states, stealing items worth more than $1,000 in value is considered a felony. Many Pokémon card heists exceed that.

But catching thieves is rare. Stolen cards are nearly impossible to trace because they have no serial numbers, Jarman said. cnn.com


'Militarized' Grocery Stores?
OPINION: Policing the grocery store checkout won’t fix Canada’s food retail crisis
Militarized surveillance systems are becoming the new normal in many Canadian grocery stores, marking a disturbing symptom of an already fraught food retail system.

At a FreshCo in Toronto and a Superstore in Calgary, staff have begun wearing body cameras in response to rising theft at self-checkouts, organized retail crime where high-value items such as meat are stolen and resold and increased food insecurity.

Surveillance systems in commercial retail are nothing new; cameras, mirrors and store design have long been used to deter shoplifting. But these newer, more militarized approaches seem both heavy-handed and misguided.

Surveillance expands as theft rises

Despite the growing costs for employees and consumers, retailers say they are facing significant losses from retail crime, which the Retail Council of Canada has called a “national crisis.”

Retailers reported an average profit shrink of 1.5 per cent in 2024, which is almost double what it was in 2019. Grocers and retailers have both cited self-checkouts as a top contributor to this shrink.

Meanwhile, police-reported incidents of shoplifting are rising. Toronto police reported that 105 incidents of shoplifting goods over $5,000 occurred in 2024, up from just 32 in 2020. Winnipeg police reported a 46 per cent increase in retail theft in 2024 compared to the year prior.

In response, retailers are spending millions on police, security and other forms of surveillance. Superstore, for example, has spent more than $12 million in the last five years on special duty police officers to patrol checkouts. Walmart started using special duty officers in their Winnipeg stores in 2022, costing the U.S. conglomerate $1.4 million. theconversation.com


Law Enforcement Agencies Continue Retail Theft Crackdown
Kalamazoo County cracks down on 'candy boys' retail theft with ordinance change

Officials say the updated Hawking/Peddling Ordinance will help deputies identify and address unauthorized sales of stolen goods.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with Oshtemo Township, has updated the local Hawking/Peddling Ordinance to address a rise in retail theft and fraud targeting stores like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Target, and Walgreens. The so-called 'candy boys' have been stealing boxes of candy bars and then selling the products in front of the stores.

The ordinance change now requires individuals to obtain authorization before selling goods or services within the township, providing deputies with a tool to identify and hold accountable those operating outside the law.

Retail theft has been an ongoing issue in the Maple Hill Pavilion area, with organized groups targeting stores for high-value items like candy that can be easily resold. The updated ordinance gives law enforcement more tools to crack down on this criminal activity and hold both the thieves and their accomplices responsible. nationaltoday.com


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