Åhléns declares war on shrinkage

10 February 2006, London - Åhléns, Sweden’s largest media, homewares and beauty retailer, is tackling shrinkage in its stores by implementing RetailKey Loss Prevention (RetailKey LP) software from IntelliQ, a leading provider of comprehensive loss prevention solutions to the retail sector, in its nearly 200 stores in Sweden and

The software went live in early December with two users analysing till transactions centrally to detect anomalies that can then be passed onto Åhléns security staff for further investigation.

Åhléns CIO, Conny Nordberg, said, “The problem of shrinkage, both external and internal, is growing in Sweden and we are well aware of it, however, our main focus to date has been on security for customers, and staff when they leave the store; we had not concentrated on till transactions.”

Following a visit to Bhs, a large UK clothing and homewares chain and existing IntelliQ user, Åhléns decided to adopt IntelliQ’s RetailKey LP software. Nordberg said, “We also looked at XBR from US company Datavantage and at Fujitsu’s Loss Prevention Management System. We chose IntelliQ, because the software is very easy to use, is ready to go and interfaces easily with our other systems. We also felt more comfortable working with a supplier that is not too far away from us.”

Although the initial focus will be internal shrink, Åhléns will be extending the use of RetailKey LP to tackle the larger landscape of loss

He added, “The implementation went very smoothly, and has been well received by the labour unions. They recognise that the system shifts any suggestion of blame away from innocent staff. We can also see that better internal standards may reduce external theft as we all become more vigilant and everyone can see we are taking theft more seriously.”

David Snocken, product development director for IntelliQ, said, “Åhléns will focus their use of loss prevention software to tackle the root causes of internal shrinkage, starting with fraud detection and recovering lost income, before developing to look at the broader landscape of loss.”

About Åhléns

Åhléns is one of Sweden's best-known brands and leading retailers. Its nationwide retail chain consists of 78 department stores in 60 towns throughout Sweden as well as 86 beauty outlets, named KICKS, and 14 homeware stores, named Lagerhaus. Åhléns also operates 17 home products stores in Norway.

Åhléns' operations are focused on four business areas: Åhléns Fashion, Home, Media and Beauty. Åhléns has a turnover of around 4,7 billion Swedish kronor (ex VAT) and employs 5,000 staff.

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