Home Bargains pronounces main checkout change in all UK shops to crackdown on thieves
Home Bargains is trialling new anti-theft software with AI installed into CCTV so it can cleverly record whether an item leaving self-checkout has been scanned or not
Home Bargains is stepping up its game against theft by introducing a major change to self-checkouts across all UK stores. The discount retailer is trialling new anti-theft software that uses AI to determine if items at self-checkout have been properly scanned.
The bargain chain has teamed up with tech firm SAI, Storewide Active Intelligence, and AI specialist Everseen to integrate the software into their CCTV systems. Home Bargains is conducting two store trials in collaboration with these loss-prevention tech companies.
Operations Director Paul Rowland told The Grocer that the technology proved more effective than security guards, emphasising that their main goal is to safeguard staff by preventing crime before it occurs.
SAI has touted the innovation as transforming standard security cameras into “specialised and capable in-store AI assistants.”
In 2023, Home Bargains, which operates numerous outlets across the UK, enticed customers with a £500 reward for aiding in the capture of shoplifters.
At one of its Liverpool stores, Home Bargains informed customers about the extensive surveillance system in place, boasting over 30 cameras covering the entire shop floor.
The Telegraph cited a warning poster that read: “Even if not caught at the time, we use this CCTV evidence to pursue shoplifters after they have left the store. As well as police prosecutions, we also carry out civil prosecutions against shoplifters.”
Retailers in the UK reported a staggering rise in customer theft incidents by 3.7 million to 20.4 million in the 12 months leading up to September last year, inflicting a £2bn hit on the industry.
These alarming statistics were revealed in January in the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual crime survey, which speaks for over 200 major retailers.
The BRC also highlighted a shocking 50% surge in violence and abuse against shopworkers, with an average of more than 2,000 such distressing incidents occurring every day.
The new AI system is a far cry from the well-known cardboard cutout copper – that later became a window sticker – that was used to deter shoplifters back in the days of when it was called Home and Bargains.
Last week, we reported how fans have finally come clean about a phobia they had about coming in store because of the beady eyes of the nightmare-inducing copper that was known in many a store across the land.
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