Total retail shrink grew to more than $112 billion in 2022, up from $93.9 billion the year before, according to the newest National Retail Security Survey.
The metric, which accounts for various types of inventory loss including theft, damage and vendor error, generally rises as retail sales climb.
External theft, which includes organized retail crime, was again reported as the largest source of shrink last year at 36.15%, but that was slightly below 37% in 2021.
The NRF conducted the online survey of senior loss prevention and security executives in the retail industry.
The results for 2022 include 177 retail brand respondents, which the organization said accounted for 22% of retail sales in 2022.
Persons:
Duane Reade, Angela Weiss, Locker, David Johnston
Organizations:
Afp, Getty, Target, National Retail Federation, National Retail Security Survey, Retail Security
Locations:
New York City