Laura Turner steps up to lead Next’s retail crime prevention unit

Turner’s transition follows a period of internal restructuring aimed at refining the retailer’s approach to crime. Reflecting on her new responsibilities, she noted the resilience and dedication of the team, emphasizing that the department’s current focus remains on evolving its methodologies to counter complex retail security challenges. Her appointment underscores the growing priority of loss prevention within large-scale omnichannel retail operations.

The industry focus on security is further highlighted by Asda’s recent deployment of the Auror intelligence platform. Following a ten-week trial in 30 London stores, the grocery chain reported an 80% reduction in incident reporting times and the recovery of over £100,000 in stolen goods. By leveraging shared intelligence networks, retailers are increasingly shifting their resources toward identifying prolific offenders who account for the majority of retail crime incidents.