Zara’s new anti-shoplifting system has encountered some teething problems leading to a delay in its planned summer rollout, according to company insiders.
Sources told Bloomberg that the new RFID system, which is meant to replace bulky magnetic devices with barely visible microchips, could actually increase theft as the tags can be easily located and removed.
Zara’s parent company, the Spanish fast-fashion giant Inditex, said the delays were due to supply bottlenecks, with the "in-store implementation process… going according to plan, without any significant incidents”.
The new anti-theft system was announced by Inditex chief executive Oscar García Maceiras.
Zara is one of many high-street chains battling the rising tide of shoplifting crimes.
A July report from industry body the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed that incidents of theft have surged 27% across 10 of the UK’s largest cities this year, with some cities up as much as 68%.
Some chains have taken drastic measures. Co-op has begun planting undercover security guards in its stores, while a collective of retailers including Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose have joined forces on ‘Project Pegasus’.
The £600,000 initiative will fund police efforts to crack down on shoplifting using facial recognition.
“It'll be a game-changer for policing because for the first time ever, policing will get a complete picture across the country of where these gangs are hitting different areas and they'll have that data and intelligence to be able to put that out to local police forces to go after those gangs,” Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Kelly Bourne said of the project.
Inditex is the largest company by market capitalisation on the Madrid Stock Exchange, valued at $120.05 billion (€112.46 billion, £96.70 billion).