Organised crime gangs have included Officeworks in their shoplifting spree with tech products high on the ‘hit list’.

 

A number of CEOs in recent weeks have complained of theft, particularly in Victoria, with Coles CEO  Leah Weckert noting crime in the state is “escalating more than what we are seeing in other states”.

 

Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott said the fact so many major companies had complained of the issues showed how significant they had become.

 

Scott said that organised crime syndicates had targeted the conglomerate’s retail brands, stealing high-value items such as power tools from Bunnings and tech products at Officeworks.

 

“A lot of those products show up on black markets and marketplaces,” Scott said. 

 

Wesfarmers’ retail business has rolled out anti-theft measures and strengthened security to mitigate shoplifting.

 

Officeworks, which caught one manager stealing more than $50,000 via fake refunds in 2023, has partnered with Appriss Retail, which uses machine learning to identify anomalies in sales and replenishment data. 

 

Appriss said it will  present Officeworks with key data that highlights trend anomalies in stock processes and POS transactions that may be considered fraudulent.