Like many of its retail counterparts, Ulta Beauty (Bolingbrook, Ill.) says theft is an “increasingly concerning challenge” for it, with CEO Dave Kimbell telling analysts during a recent earnings call that incidents have become more violent and aggressive.
To combat that problem, the beauty retailer is investing in a range of efforts, including increasing staffing, hiring security and using in-store fixtures to prevent theft, Retail Dive reports. Fragrance products, a popular target for organized retail crime, will go into locked cabinets at 70 percent of Ulta’s 1355 stores nationwide by the end of the year, Chief Operating Officer Kecia Steelman said during the call.
“We’ve invested in security guards, armed security guards in some locations. We’re partnering with our landlords on what can we do to help police the parking lots and deter them from even coming in,” Steelman said. “It’s a full-court press out there.”