Home improvement is a huge consumer trend, driven initially by the pandemic-induced lockdowns, but also home-working and aspirational social media channels showcasing beautiful homes and gardens. Little wonder then that spending on the home is a multi-billion business as shoppers look to upgrade both the interiors and exteriors of where they live.

However, it’s not only house-proud shoppers who love DIY stores, they’re also seen as rich-pickings for thieves with their combination of easily stealable small items and high-value power tools. And as interest in home improvement grows, thieves know they can easily sell-on power tools, paint, and hand tools. This means it’s even more important for DIY stores to be extra vigilant and to adopt technology to help secure stock and deter theft.

However, DIY outlets present a security challenge, because not only are they large spaces, the very nature of DIY also means shoppers expect to be able to pick up and examine items to check their compatibility with other products. This vulnerability can result in out-of-stocks of smaller, easy-to-conceal products, plus opened boxes, and stolen contents of larger products; some thieves are prepared to cut banded strapping around packaging to remove products.

Checkpoint Systems' suite of protection options incorporates its next-generation EAS/RFID systems to protect products, and boost sales: Any item with an EAS tag can be tracked around the store, meaning if someone tries to leave without paying, one of several strategically-placed in-store antennas will pick it up and sound an alarm. Checkpoint technology includes:

 

Alpha High-Theft Solutions: Incorporating CableLoks®, Mini NeedleLok™ Tag and Spider Wraps® to protect large, six-sided packaging, open display solutions and tamper-proof packaging bands that trigger a high-volume alarm if someone tries to open the box.

Alarms come in three levels:

1 Alarm solutions are designed to activate EAS gates if a breach occurs

2 Alarm activates the EAS gate but in addition an alarm sounds if the merchandise is tampered with anywhere in the store

3 Alarm has the benefits of both 1 and 2 Alarm, but also detects EAS gates and sounds an alarm loud enough to force the would-be thief to drop the item and leave the store.

 

The aim of Alpha Solutions is to trigger a recovery in sales where they are used, but they don’t hinder the shopper from touching or trying the products, something so important in DIY stores.

 

RF Metal™ Label: Designed to protect metallic items, such as paint tins, drill bills and spanners that can be difficult to protect without locking them away in display cabinets. This is because the metallic material absorbs the RF energy, making it harder to detect items passing out of the store.

The metal label can be applied at source or in store, has minimal impact on the visual appearance of products and because it acts as a visual theft deterrent, retailers can continue to put high-value, easily stealable items in prime positions so shoppers can continue to interact with them. The RF Metal Label will work in tandem with any of Checkpoint System’s EAS antenna solutions, the robust NEO™ NP10 antenna offers DIY stores, with wide aisles and store exit/entrances, better protection.

In fact, the NEO series of antennas offer one of the most flexible, yet effective, solutions for DIY outlets. NEO’s integrated wireless connectivity makes it easier to install, with less cabling, allowing antennas to connect directly to store networks, mobile and the Checkpoint cloud platform. And importantly for DIY stores, the antenna have a longer detection range, meaning they can be placed further apart. This not only allows for the wider aisles in DIY stores, but also makes them less visually obtrusive while still offering enhanced product protection.

DIY retailers can also take advantage of Checkpoint’s Check&Secure® - a store audit of both protected and non-protected items, advice on how to optimise protection, and a pilot test to demonstrate how EAS can reduce shrinkage and increase sales.

 

Case study: Praxis

Praxis is one of the largest DIY chains in the Netherlands offering a combination of compact city stores, larger mid-sized outlets, megastores, and online shopping. It recently trialled Checkpoint’s Alpha S3vx security solution – part of Checkpoint’s suite of Alpha High Theft Solutions range – in four outlets to better protect high value items from thieves using illegal openers (disconnectors) that disconnect products from security devices.

Alpha S3vx makes illegal disconnection a thing of the past because it consists of an extra-strong disconnector (opener) accompanied by a verification code that is unique to each store.

During the four months that the Alpha S3vx was trialled it reduced theft from the Praxis outlets by 50% on products from Bosch, Grohe, Makita and Worx, among others. And as losses decreased there was also an improvement in product availability, which helped to improve the customer experience.

Following the successful pilot, Praxis rolled out the Alpha S3vx solution to half its stores estate, with the remaining half to go live in the first half of next year.