National Retail Federation says 2021 data was flawed and based on congressional testimony from president of an advocacy group

The powerful National Retail Federation (NRF) lobbying group has retracted a claim that “organized retail crime” accounted for “nearly half” of the shopping industry’s $94.5bn losses due to theft or “shrink” in 2021.

The industry group had said the impact of organized retail crime, which it previously claimed had increased by 26.5%, had become increasingly violent. Retail giants like Target, Walmart and Walgreens said it was threatening their businesses.

The NRF said the figure was based on a congressional testimony from Ben Dugan, the former president of an advocacy group, the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, and that an analyst from K2 Integrity, a risk consultancy that co-authored the report, inferred the “nearly half” claim.

  • ItchySunItchyKnee@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    What is this “Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail”?

    The article describes it as an advocacy group. But for what exactly? In my humble and biased opinion, these two things are very far apart (LE and Retail)

    Edit: to -> two

        • snooggums@kbin.social
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          7 months ago

          There are lobbying groups for equality, medical care, women’s rights, chkldren’s rights, and environmental protections and other topics that don’t promote lies. Musicians and artists banded together as a group to lobby against censorship.

          Just becsuse there are shitty lobbyists doesn’t mean they all are.

    • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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      7 months ago

      Most retail companies’ Loss Prevention department works with local law enforcement, which I actually think is a good thing. Focus on the people who rob/use violence or teams of people who run out with carts full of expensive things to resell, not the single mom pocketing food…