VoCoVo, a retail communications specialist, has partnered with Dunelm to enhance its in-store security and help to prevent theft and loss. This has been achieved through the roll out of a new feature to colleagues’ VoCoVo headsets, empowering shop floor staff to take discreet action to deter would-be thieves.
Prior to the implementation, Dunelm was facing a series of security challenges, with stores regularly targeted by thieves. Protecting in-store colleagues is of paramount importance to Dunelm’s security team and recognising the important role communication can play in supporting security measures, Dunelm identified a gap in its current systems.
With VoCoVo headsets already in use throughout Dunelm’s UK stores, the two companies worked together closely to introduce a new security function to empower workers to take action against shoplifters and prevent inventory loss. This upgrade to the headsets, unique to Dunelm’s stores at present, enables colleagues to issue a pre-recorded tannoy announcement at the push of a button, reminding shoppers of the in-store security measures in place and deterring would-be thieves.
Following the success of initial trials at two locations, this feature has now been rolled out across 100 UK Dunelm stores. Since its introduction earlier this year, Dunelm colleagues have become more confident to react quickly and decisively to any suspicious activities.
Martin Dunn, security and loss prevention manager at Dunelm says: “From initial conversations right through to deployment, the speed at which the VoCoVo team managed to roll out the new security feature to our stores has been incredible. The safety of our employees and customers is our number one priority, and so enabling colleagues to trigger an announcement when there may be a threat is fantastic. So far, the feedback from stores has been hugely positive and, on hearing the announcement, we’ve seen many incidents of would-be shoplifters leaving the store empty-handed without needing to be confronted by in-store teams.”
Martyn Jones, chief commercial officer at VoCoVo adds: “Theft and abuse against retail workers is a growing concern in the UK, with our research finding that 38 per cent of UK retail workers have experienced store theft in the last year. We’re proud to be taking action to help combat this issue in our work with household name, Dunelm, and it’s rewarding to see VoCoVo’s solutions helping to better protect inventory and create a safer environment for their employees as well as customers. We look forward to further deploying our security feature to Dunelm’s remaining 70 stores and strengthening our partnership.”
In addition to the new security capability, Dunelm colleagues continue to use their VoCoVo headsets to improve efficiency across different teams, answer customer queries quicker, deal with Click & Collect enquiries, and receive HQ updates.
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