Walmart CEO says shoplifting may result in value jumps, retailer closures

Walmart shops throughout the U.S. are grappling with an uptick in shoplifting that would result in larger costs and closed shops if the issue persists, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon stated Tuesday. 

“Theft is a matter. It is larger than what it has traditionally been,” he informed CNBC’s “Squawk Field.”

“We have got security measures, safety measures that we have put in place by retailer location. I believe native regulation enforcement being staffed and being accomplice is a part of that equation, and that is usually how we strategy it,” McMillon stated.

Walmart is not the one big-box retailer coping with an uptick in theft. Final month, Goal Chief Monetary Officer Michael Fiddelke stated shoplifting has jumped about 50% yr over and yr, resulting in greater than $400 million in losses on this fiscal yr alone. 

A lot of the shoplifting is organized retail theft, fairly than petty theft, Fiddelke stated.

When requested on Tuesday about how native jurisdictions deal with shoplifting circumstances, McMillon stated a lax strategy from prosecutors may impression costs and result in retailer closures down the road. 

“If that is not corrected over time, costs might be larger, and/or shops will shut,” McMillon stated. 

“It is actually metropolis by metropolis, location by location. It is retailer managers working with native regulation enforcement and we have nice relationships there for essentially the most half,” he added.

— CNBC’s Sara Salinas contributed to this report.