Jumbo says it suffered €100 million in damages due to shoplifting

The value of goods stolen from Jumbo supermarkets last year was 25 percent higher than the company's annual profit. Shoplifting accounts for more than 100 million euros in lost revenue every year, the supermarket chain said when presenting its annual results on Wednesday. CEO Ton van Veen predicted that the net profit for 2023 will be slightly lower than the 80 million euros achieved in the previous year. "That is not a healthy situation," Van Veen wrote.

"In many stores, the loss due to stolen products now amounts to around 1 percent of turnover and store employees are confronted with unpleasant situations and increased tensions," the company announced. There was a 60 percent increasing in shoplifting cases registered by Jumbo last year than in 2022.

"This is a growing problem and we are appealing to politicians to address this," he said. The rate of theft has been increasing for a long time, he claimed. "This is not something from today or yesterday. We often catch people not scanning products, or not paying at the cash register. People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in not paying for products. You sometimes fall over in shock to witness how creative people are to take products without paying."

The increase in theft is also because there are more self-scanners in supermarkets, with fewer cashiers working. A third of all thefts occur at self-scanners. He added that stores without self-scanning machines also have trouble dealing with shoplifters. "It also very much depends on the neighborhood. There are market areas where we are more troubled by it, and there are areas where it is less prevalent." He did not specify which parts of the country have stores with higher rates of theft.

He also could not indicate how often the store pressed charges in the past year. "In many cases, no report is made, simply because the theft is not detected. Even when a thief is caught, a report is not always made." This is often because it is very time-consuming. The products that are stolen most often are raw chicken breasts, meat, fish, toothpaste and other cosmetic products.

As a solution, security guards are stationed at the door at a "growing number" of supermarkets. People caught stealing are also banned from shopping. This year, Jumbo will all focus on more intensive camera surveillance. "We will communicate with customers so that they know that they are being recorded. We respect all privacy regulations. As soon as we take concrete steps, we will provide further information about this," Van Veen stated.

In addition, Jumbo is testing various new methods this month to prevent and combat theft. "If we could put this amount into a price reduction, all our customers would benefit from this," Van Veen explained. "That would be our approach. But what is perhaps even more important is that I want to create a safer environment for employees and customers in the store."

Jumbo has a total of 725 stores. Damage caused by shoplifting is not only a growing problem at Jumbo in the Netherlands. The number of shoplifting reports from the past year is expected to set a new record.