Norway's Largest Retailer Conquers Tobacco Theft

By Bob Johns

June 2013 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

NorgesGruppen needed to not only comply with upcoming tobacco regulations, but also reduce internal and external theft of tobacco products.

Meny AS is the largest retailer in Norway and, as such, has the same issues with shrink that all retail is facing. Add in some new government regulations regarding the sale of tobacco products and the need for additional display space, and you have created a need for a secure vending system to control product, reduce shrink, and open up till space.

The 2.1 billion Euro company, operating under the NorgesGruppen label, has undergone rapid growth and modernization, but still had not changed how its tobacco products were sold. They were kept in locked cabinets behind the tills, taking up valuable space and wasting time for both the cashier and patrons as the cabinet had to be unlocked to access the merchandise. Kur t Thomassen, head of security for NorgesGruppen, has been working with Intelligent Loss Prevention, a provider of shopper-friendly secure merchandising solutions, to implement a solution that would still allow his company to maintain strict control over the sale of tobacco products, while freeing up time for associates and valuable space at the till.