Jumbo ends AI anti-theft trial

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo is discontinuing a trial to detect potential shoplifters using artificial intelligence. “Customers are not potential thieves”, CEO Ton van Veen explains. He wants to find other ways to fight theft.

100 million euros lost

The test was started after Jumbo reported that it lost 1 % of its sales in 2023 to theft worth more than 100 million euros by 2023, or 1% of sales. It consisted of new software that uses AI to recognise abnormal customer behaviour in the stores. The retailer also announced a series of measures to reduce theft, including camera surveillance and more spot checks at self-scanning checkouts.

Ditching that project, Van Veen told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “Considering customers as potential thieves does not make people want to go shopping. Customers are very welcome, even if they forgot to scan something once.” Instead of tough measures, he wants to focus more on social control: “Eye contact with people is important.”

Using all those different methods, Jumbo managed to reduce the loss through theft by 30 % this year. However, the CEO thinks that is still not enough: “I think it should go to a maximum of 0.5 % of sales. These savings can then be passed on to our customers as well.”