Domino makes its mark in fight against retail crime

With the growing concern among retailers about the increase in product theft, Domino UK Ltd is supplying its laser technology to security and risk management consultancy, The Courtenay Group Ltd, for its ground-breaking Vendormark security system.  Vendormark is a unique new anti-theft solution which entails the use of a high performance laser to etch unique identification data directly onto products. The Vendormark solution was recently piloted by pharmaceutical giants Boots, and proved extremely successful with the company reporting significant reduction in theft and the arrest of a market trader handling marked products along with the seizure of goods on sale on his stall.

As a result of the trial, Boots has placed its first order for two Vendormark 6000 laser systems. Several other leading retailers including ASDA, owned by Wal-Mart, are also currently trialing the Vendormark solution.

Using the Domino S200W scribing laser, part of Domino’s extensive coding and marking offering, products are permanently imprinted with a Vendormark containing information on the precise outlet where the product is to be sold.  The Vendormark forms an integral part of the retail product or its packaging, and is completely heat, water and tamper resistant. 

During the Boots trial, a Domino S200W laser was installed at its Group headquarters in Nottingham during which several high profile cosmetic brands were security coded.  The products were then shipped to Boots stores in the north and southeast of England. Shortly after the merchandise was placed in the stores, a quantity of stolen goods were identified from its unique Vendormark branding and reported to theftline, the Vendormark theft reporting service. 

Simon Jarvis, managing director of The Courtenay Group, commented: ‘We chose Domino as our laser supplier in the development of this solution because of its global reputation and quality technology.  Domino is a renowned expert in the coding and marking field, and we were confident that it would provide us with the expertise we needed to get the products marked quickly and accurately.’

Ken Robson, senior territory sales manager at Domino UK, added: ‘The S200W scribing laser was the obvious choice for this project as it is a robust, highly reliable laser, yet its compact size and light weight makes it easy to integrate into the most demanding production environments. In addition, the telescopic qualities of the laser allows for a sharper image with a large depth of field, enabling excellent clarity on a range of products.’

The laser head can be mounted into tight production spaces as part of the existing production line, or, in the case of the boots trial, can be introduced as a standalone system.

Simon Jarvis continued: ‘The potential of Vendormark offers a truly global solution to the growing issue of retail crime. It raises public awareness of the offence of handling stolen goods which can result in jail sentences of up to 15 years in the UK. We are delighted that Vendormark is already having positive results in securing quick arrests from the instant proof of identification of the stolen property. And, with the ongoing support of Domino with its quality laser technology, we are confident that we can continue to develop and move the Vendormark offering forward to make a significant impact on product theft in the retail sector in the future.’