Shoplifting and other inventory loss cost retailers $112 billion last year

Tue, 09/26/2023 - 11:12

Tide laundry detergent bottles locked up inside CVS store — Tide laundry detergent bottles with a security locking system to prevent theft at a CVS pharmacy, Queens, New York.
Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Retailers lost a record $112.1 billion to inventory shrink in 2022, per an industry survey.
The number is up from $94 billion in 2021, and represents 1.6% of total sales.
External and internal theft accounted for roughly two-thirds of the losses.

Retailers reported losing a record $112.1 billion to inventory shrink in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation's annual Retail Security Survey, published Tuesday.