The international luxury lifestyle brand BALR., launched in 2013 by Demy de Zeeuw, Juul Manders and Ralph de Geus, has had its three shops in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Maasmechelen protected. The popular retailer chose to do this with Checkpoint Systems, the world leader in retail loss prevention. Convenience, ambience and brand experience were of primary importance for BALR.

BALR. is known for its high-quality fashion, travel products and accessories for men and women. Based in the Netherlands, the brand has created a full range of high-quality items that provide inspiration for experiencing “the life of a BALR.”.  BALR.’s products are extremely popular with young people under-24, sporty young men and women over 35. Unfortunately, these branded products are also very much loved by shoplifters. For BALR., protection is therefore a vital part of its retail stores.

To attract shoppers, retailers like BALR. invest millions in their store concepts. Standard electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennae would be out of place here. That’s why BALR. chose Checkpoint. The leader in loss prevention offers the option of modifying its range of attennae, by creating a unique design with the assistance of its design team. The team designs protection antennae that are completely in line with the design of the store, using 3D printers. It also improves the shopping experience for the shopper and prevents theft.

BALR. has chosen the Checkpoint Classic Street design, customised with the BALR. logo for its store entrance. Hyperguard, a solution that works against professional shoplifters with ‘booster’ bags, is integrated into the antenna. For the protection of the products in its store, BALR. works with luxury hardtags by Checkpoint’s Alpha High Theft Solutions brand. It is not immediately noticeable in the stores, but they are very well protected against criminality, and that is exactly the point: it is blended into the store concept.

Aside from integrating the loss protection solutions, Checkpoint also provided additional services, such as training store personnel within the ‘train the trainer’ concept. During the training sessions focus was placed on preventing store crime, as well as how to attach a hardtag to a piece of clothing so that the consumer is not inconvenienced by it.

Pascal Brouwer, International Retail Director at BALR. says: “Despite a dramatically-changed retail market, traditional shopping is still the number one leisure activity! However, consumer expectations of it have certainly become much higher. That means that we have to reset crucial retail processes like loss prevention, no longer viewing them as an independent item, but as a part of the bigger picture.”

Franklin Val, Key Account Manager of Checkpoint Systems says: “We are continually working together with retailers like BALR. to develop loss prevention solutions that will improve their financial performance. We have 50 years experience in this area! But times change, and we are now noticing that retail processes are more and more integrated, and that it’s not only about protection anymore. It’s about the total shopping experience. That makes it different, but also really very enjoyable.”