With the festive season just around the corner, the retail industry is gearing up for its busiest time of the year. As we head into the winter months, the UK sees one of the largest surges in retail activity throughout the calendar, with Christmas shoppers and bargain hunters descending on shopping centres, supermarkets and local businesses.
That’s never more true than on Black Friday, one of the retail calendar’s most pivotal days. An imported tradition, the event has seen its popularity skyrocket in recent years, and now spans several days, with a huge influx of shoppers expected to grace the shopfloors once again in 2024.
That naturally raises a security eyebrow and with our latest report here at Churchill Support Services, we’ll be exploring exactly how a strong security presence can keep profits high and stresses low this Black Friday. It’s a potent blend, and one that seeks to keep you and your business supported throughout the festive period.
We’ll also discuss the key retail crime statistics and findings that reinforce Black Friday’s importance among retailers, and what that all means for keeping your staff, shoppers and premises safe over the coming months.
Just at a glance, the cruciality of Black Friday in your average retailer’s schedule is immediately apparent. The latest Statista report finds that the UK ranks 4th in terms of global searches around Black Friday deals and interest, with far more across our social media feeds, in advertisements and even via word-of-mouth.
That rising interest equates to much more foot traffic, as we’ve seen year on year. Conservative estimates from consumer analysis firm Mintel place the UK’s spending on Black Friday in 2023 at a startling £13.3 billion – a 7.3% rise when we compare that with previous years. That’s not confined to online shopping, either, as many assume.
That same Mintel report also discusses how 44% of consumers opted to make their purchases in-store. In a world with increasing online prevalence, many are turning to more traditional brick-and-mortar options for the experience, convenience and human interaction, and those statistics support that.
The day’s deals also prove to be an attractive prospect, with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis pulling ever tighter at the purse strings. Those deals land just in time for Christmas, with this year’s Black Friday falling on 29th November – less than a month ahead of Christmas, which is undoubtedly on the minds of many shoppers.
There’s also been a resurgence of consumer confidence, according to outreach from the business arm of fashion magazine Vogue. A more positive consumer base means more traffic in stores, more interest in what you’re selling, and ultimately larger profits. But what does that all mean for your premises’ security?
We explored this in much more depth with our recent exposé on the most stolen items from supermarkets, but suffice it to say that – alongside those paying customers – you’re also naturally going to bring in the wrong sorts of attention, too. Shoplifting has seen a huge spike over the last year, with statistics pointing towards a 30% rise when compared with 2023.
That comes in addition to equally concerning rises in pickpocketing (up by 17%), robbery (up by 8%), and weapon possession (up by 1%) – all crimes that have historically plagued our retail sector. That’s not taking into account the abuse retail workers receive, with the Association of Convenience Stores reporting an estimated 800,000 incidents of verbal abuse towards those working in retail.
All of this does make for grim reading, of course, but there are options available. Let’s break down what practicable advice you can put into place to protect your store or supermarket this Black Friday.
Below, we’ve outlined the key benefits of hiring private security for your business this Black Friday.
We’ve already touched on the overwhelming presence of shoplifting and theft in modern society, but those statistics certainly bear repeating. In the period between March 2023 and March 2024, there were 443,995 instances of shoplifting – a sharp rise of 30% when we compare that with the previous year’s figures (342,428 incidents).
With a rise in customers unfortunately comes a rise in the potential for thieves who shield their activity in the crowds. Retailers must be especially vigilant during this period, as organised shoplifting groups may take advantage of the chaos to steal high-value items.
In response to this challenge, many stores implement heightened security measures, such as increasing the presence of security personnel and installing surveillance cameras. We’ve already begun to see some of the more innovative measures rise to the top, with anti-theft measures in supermarkets resorting to AI-powered technology and facial recognition to combat repeat offenders.
It’s not just businesses that can fall victim to theft during the busy Black Friday sales, though. As bustling crowds filter in and out, it can create an environment ripe for pickpocketing and personal theft. Keeping customers safe is part of a positive shopping experience, which is why security measures should seek to safeguard everyone in your store.
With Churchill’s dedicated retail security officers, we will keep a careful watch over everyone entering your business, looking out for any suspicious activity. That’s able to operate seamlessly and complementarily alongside your store CCTV, or as an accoutrement to our surveillance solutions for the retail sector.
Black Friday often reaches the headlines due to the huge crowds the sales attract. Often, these can swell out of control, making it difficult to move through the store, creating lengthy queues and aggravating tempers.
Crowding issues have a detrimental impact on businesses, creating a negative experience for shoppers. According to research from consumer watchdog Lightspeed, 69% of customers decide not to make a purchase based on the size of the queue, meaning that poor queue management can result in lost sales.
With the average shopper only willing to wait 6 minutes and 46 seconds in a queue at a store, managing queues and crowds is fundamental to providing swift service, making sales and happy customers. That’s where effective crowd management really comes to the fore, and ensures a smooth experience for everyone who visits.
With retail security officers like those we’re proud to provide here at Churchill Support Services, you can control movement in and out of your business, ensuring a smooth flow of customers, and a much more streamlined experience for those who visit your store. We’re also able to adapt seamlessly, so whether it’s the Black Friday rush or a summer lull, we’re on hand to help.
While the Black Friday sales are designed to entice shoppers, rewarding them in turn with a better deal than they might find elsewhere, it’s equally true that they can create a sense of the chaotic.
Improper conflict and crowd management is a recipe for disaster, as past years’ Black Friday occasions in Manchester have borne witness to. Crowds have since calmed down, but there’s still the ever-present threat of dwindling stock levels, irate customers and things going that step too far.
Managing conflicts effectively is essential to preventing harm, and de-escalating volatile situations before an incident has the chance to occur. That’s where effective retail security officers play a crucial role, acting as that calming and authoritative presence your store needs when the crowds become too rowdy.
All of the retail security officers we employ here at Churchill Support Services have extensive training in conflict management and undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure that your store only gets the cream of the crop in our sector.
While the crowds on Black Friday are a welcome addition in a post-COVID retail sector, they can also bring with them the wrong kinds of attention. While we’ve already touched on the ever-present risk of theft, there’s also the all-too-real threat of unauthorised access to your staff-only or storage areas.
Many stores and supermarkets will have sophisticated access controls in place, but there are equally times when access to stockrooms and warehousing needs to be left open. Black Friday is one of those key moments in the retail calendar – stock shifts at such a high rate that easy access is a must-have.
During Black Friday, the presence of private security personnel becomes crucial. Churchill’s professionals are adept at navigating crowded spaces and identifying suspicious activities, ensuring that potential intruders are swiftly detected and dealt with appropriately.
Our patrolling retail security officers help safeguard your premises, which can be used together with our advanced CCTV surveillance systems to create a robust defence against theft and unauthorised access. This may be particularly prominent overnight of Black Friday, as intruders attempt to access stock.
While retailers naturally welcome the influx of business and customers on Black Friday, health and safety protocols can often be a casualty of that. However, while your shop will undoubtedly be busy, it shouldn’t be an opportunity for those standards to slip.
An exceptional retail security presence can help in upholding those processes and protocols you’ve worked so hard to put into place. Whether that’s in aiding in the event of a medical emergency, or coordinating evacuation efforts when a fire alarm sounds, your retail officers are on hand to keep your store ticking over while you deal with the day-to-day.
This is where the best suppliers set themselves apart, too. Every shop is unique, and needs an equally unique security solution to match the demands of Black Friday. At Churchill for example, we design bespoke security plans that are tailored to fit your layout, demands and peak operating hours.
Your health and safety becomes as integral to our officers’ daily routine as it is to yours, and with first aid training now a compulsory part of the SIA licencing process, you’ll always be in complete control.
Britain’s retail sector is one of our most pivotal and a major contributor towards our local and national economies. It’s little surprise the industry saw a massive contribution of £110.4 billion throughout 2023, with that only set to grow over the coming months. Effective retail security is an essential component of that contribution, and for good reason.
We alluded earlier to research from Mintel, which found that 84% of consumers would return to a retailer after a positive experience when shopping on Black Friday. That’s where retail security from Churchill Support Services truly steps up, offering everything you need and more from your provider. A stellar service is part and parcel of bringing in repeat customers, and that’s exactly what we’re able to offer.
We’ve honed and refined an approach to retail security over the last 28 years that we’re proud to pioneer. Tailormade solutions as standard, and a reactive service that’s responsive to the ever-expanding shopping calendar are exactly what our thriving retail sector needs, and Churchill understand that better than anyone.
Whether it’s a robust monitoring and surveillance system that’s outfitted for your supermarket, or that reassuring security presence your store needs this holiday season, Churchill have long been the go-to choice for a range of high-street retailers and stores across the country.
Get in touch today to discuss how we could be the ideal option for keeping staff, stock and shoppers satisfied over Black Friday and beyond. You’ll also receive a free, no-obligation quotation simply by enquiring, and can find out more about how we’re the UK’s #1 security company for a range of reasons.
