Target is closing nine stores across four states effective October 21 because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of staff and employees, the company has announced, citing it as a contributing factor to unsustainable business performance.
Target noted it would work with eligible employees and offer them an opportunity to transfer to other store locations.
To combat retail crime, Target maintained that the company has made payroll investments in additional security staffing and implementing theft-deterrent tools including locking cases for merchandise prone to theft, as well as investing time and resources in training store management and security personnel in how to protect themselves and de-escalate potential safety issues associated with organized retail crime incidents.
Target added that it had made significant investments in cyber defense to combat retail theft, fraud and abuse, partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations division to combat criminal activity, and established advanced threat intelligence capabilities to track organized crime groups, tools and services, In addition, it has developed custom tools to prevent and detect criminal activity and integrated them into online and in-store processes while expanding the scope of data alerts and analysis to better capture fraudulent activity from organized crime groups, Target asserted.
Although the company said it would continue to make meaningful crime deterrence investments across the business, Target pointed out that it can’t solve this issue on its own. So it supported the recent passage of the Inform Consumers Act, which gives marketplaces a larger role in combating the second-hand sale of stolen goods. It has advocated for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act in Congress, which would create a U.S. federal task force to crack down on theft in general including organized retail crime and has made efforts on the state and local level to promote interagency cooperation on retail crime.
The stores that are closing are in New York, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland, OR.
