Last year, the UK policing body the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) asked retailers to consider the security implications of the sales surge expected on the so-called Black Friday, on November 25.
That’s originally an American calendar event designed to mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, the day when British shoppers hit the shops to seek deals on offer. Black Friday cracked the £1bn sales mark for the first time in 2015 and total sales over the shopping weekend totaled more than £3bn.
With the influx of people expected on the high-street, a contract guarding company, Servest, is encouraging retailers to prepare accordingly. For those stores taking part in Black Friday, it’s important to consider in-store security plans, the contractor says. Retailers are encouraged to ensure their security guards are supported by security technology, whether alarms, access control, surveillance cameras, and communications systems, to cope with the day.
Jason Etherington, Managing Director of Servest Security, said: “Based on last year’s booming high-street sales figures, we would advise that retailers look at how they have operated on Black Friday in the past. Conducting a thorough risk assessment may help businesses gauge whether the security provision needs to be enhanced ready for this year’s shopping spree. It’s important that retailers ensure they create a safe, secure working environment; not just to protect their employees and goods, but also to safeguard their customers. Hiring additional manpower or investing in temporary CCTV equipment can help in that pursuit.”
Visit: http://servest.co.uk/services/security.
