As Irish retailers prepare for the busiest shopping season of the year, the focus naturally turns to maximising sales an delivering a great customer experience. But with soaring footfall and longer trading hours come increased risks – from shoplifting and refund fraud to cash handling errors and stock discrepancies.
At Mercury Retail Services, we help retailers nationwide strengthen their loss prevention strategies through smart technology, practical processes, and better-trained teams. With over two decades of experience and a dedicated nationwide engineering team, our solutions are designed around the realities of Irish retail.
The Golden Quarter mindset
Many retailers refer to October through December as the Golden Quarter – the period that makes or breaks the retail year. But success isn’t just about selling more; it’s about keeping more of what you sell. That means treating this season as a profit protection quarter, not just a sales drive.
The key is integrating people, process, and technology so they work together. Well-trained staff who understand the risks, clear and consistent store procedures, and reliable technology that provides real-time visibility – these three pillars turn peak season pressure into profit protection.
Five quick wins before Christmas
- Audit your tagging strategy
Review which items are protected by EAS Security Tags.
Seasonal products, electronic items, gift sets, and high value power tools are prime targets. Ensure tagging is consistent and visible – it’s one of the simplest deterrents. - Keep displays smart, not cluttered
Overfilled shelves and crowded promotional stands make it easier for thieves to conceal items. Keep high-value stock near tills or in clear line of sight and refresh layouts regularly. - Empower your team
Staff awareness is your first line of defence. Brief teams on current theft tactics, refund fraud trends, and incident response procedures.
Also make sure everyone understands any extended Christmas returns policy. Longer returns windows can open the door to receipt or item-switch scams – so clarity on inspection and authorisation procedures is key.
- Tighten up refund and cash handling controls
Require dual approval for refunds above a certain value and insist on physical inspection of returned goods. Increase till reconciliation frequency on busy days, and always have two staff verify float counts and cash movements. - Use data, not hindsight
Check CCTV, POS reports and footfall analytics daily – not in January. Simple reports on traffic peaks, exception transactions, or high-risk SKUs can guide smarter staff deployment. Data should drive morning briefings, not postseason analysis.
People, process and technology in harmony
The most successful retailers treat loss prevention as a shared responsibility. Every team member becomes a profit protector – from those on tills to floor managers and delivery staff. At Mercury Retail Services, we integrate leading global brands including Sensormatic, Checkpoint, Nedap, InVue and Veesion, delivering complete solutions that combine extensive security systems and in some cases AI enabled video analytics. For multi-site operators, our intelligent reporting tools capture data, incidents, and service activity in real time – ensuring issues are acted on before they impact profit.
About Mercury Retail Services
Part of the Johnston Fitout Group, Mercury Retail Services is Ireland’s leading specialist in Retail Loss Prevention, Digital Signage, and Customer Analytics. We work with retailers of all sizes to help protect profits, engage customers, and streamline operations.
With a fully trained nationwide engineering team and a new Dublin showroom, Mercury combines hands-on retail experience with cutting-edge innovation – delivering solutions built by retailers, for retailers.
Get in touch
To learn more about how Mercury Retail Services can help protect your store this Christmas and beyond, contact: Alan Phelan, Business Development Director, on 01 281 8110, email sales@retailservices.ie or visit www.retailservices.ie.
ALAN PHELAN
Business Development Director
