Iceland adds 'steak dispensers' to stores in major shoplifting crackdown
The dispensers - which have been developed with security firm Harrison Retail - have been installed in 30 Iceland and Food Warehouse stores in the UK over the past year
Iceland is making a huge change to its supermarket stores in its latest attempt to combat shoplifting. The frozen supermarket chain is rolling out "steak dispensers" to protect high-value cuts and other fresh meat products.
The dispensers - which have been developed with security firm Harrison Retail - have been installed in 30 Iceland and Food Warehouse stores in the UK over the past year.
According to a report by the Grocer, the dispensers are designed to fit upright onto the supermarket's chiller shelves and use a 'controlled retrieval' flap so only one packet can be removed at a time. Currently, the dispensers are holding Iceland's 12oz and 16oz steak ranges and holds eight steaks per dispenser.
The supermarket said fresh steaks were one of the most frequently targeted items stolen from its stores. Due to their high value, Iceland said it was causing the retailer 'major losses'.
The contraption aims to stop shoplifters from "sweeping" stock from shelves in one go. According to Iceland, shrinkage across its steak lines has decreased by 44% since making the change.
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Iceland also said the units make the shelves look more "appealing" and have improved on-shelf availability for shoppers as more products can be displayed.
Before this, Iceland would stock its high value meat products - such as steaks and lamb legs - in individual plastic security boxes. Shoppers would then need to ask a staff member to remove the item from the box at the till. Usually, supermarkets would put a limited number of these products on shelves.
As shoplifting cases started to rise in 2022, supermarkets are putting more products in them to try to deter shoplifting. Items that have appeared in them include alcoholic spirits, cheese, baby formula, and butter.
Iceland says sales of its steak lines have increased by 129% on average across participating stores since the dispensers were implemented. Alongside this, it says food waste has also reduced by 8.5%.
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Andy Edwards, head of loss prevention & corporate audit, Iceland Foods, said: "Working with Harrison Group has been an exceptional experience".
He added: "We developed a chilled, retail-ready security unit specifically designed to support the sale of fresh steaks.'
Supermarkets across the country began implementing new security measures when prices started to skyrocket due to inflation. Security measures included adding security tags to items, putting products in security boxes, placing empty products on shelves, limiting items on shelves, and requiring customers to scan receipts to leave stores.
According to data from the British Retail Consortium's latest crime survey, there were 20 million individual incidents of theft last year. This equated to around 55,000 per day cost retailers around £2.2billion.
Iceland executive chairman Richard Walker is among several retail bosses who have criticised the police response to the shoplifting epidemic.
He has also railed against 'stupid' privacy laws that prevent local stores from sharing information about known thieves. Iceland does not currently have facial recognition tech in stores. However, Walker said he would 'happily' roll it out into stores if it meant better protection for store staff.
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