Agenda

Small LP teams are often responsible for hundreds of stores, large physical spaces, high‑volume markets and elevated risk, yet despite a lean head count, the team is still expected to protect people, product and brand while contributing to profitability. The session investigates how J.Crew’s LP team maximizes impact with limited resources by prioritizing high‑value work, strengthening cross‑functional partnerships, leveraging technology to balance travel and using proactive safety programs — all grounded in a leadership philosophy built on thoughtful resource stewardship.

Retail crime doesn't stop at a single store, brand or jurisdiction. But most investigations still do.

In this session, retailers and law enforcement share how cross-retailer intelligence sharing and direct collaboration with law enforcement reveals what no single team can see alone. By linking cases across stores, retailers and jurisdictions, teams identify repeat offenders earlier, map patterns of movement and escalation, and take coordinated action before incidents multiply.

Powered by AI and connected network intelligence, this approach helps teams focus on the offenders driving the most harm across North America.

Supply chain cargo theft has entered a new era—one defined not by stolen trucks, but by fraud, identity deception, and cyber‑enabled schemes targeting high‑value retail shipments. In 2025 alone, losses surged nearly 60% to $725 million, despite flat incident volume, as criminal networks shifted to strategic theft tactics like fictitious pickups, broker scams, and bill‑of‑lading manipulation. 

In this fast‑paced session, data experts and retail practitioners will break down how these schemes work, where supply chains are most vulnerable, and which countermeasures are proving effective right now. Attendees will leave with practical guidance on carrier vetting, pickup verification, and real‑time risk visibility—along with a clearer picture of what it takes to prevent six‑ and seven‑figure losses in 2026. 

Omnichannel retail has evolved faster than the tools designed to protect it. Offenders now move effortlessly between store and digital channels, exploiting the blind spots created by disconnected systems and siloed LP and fraud teams. In this session, industry leader John Matas introduces Unified Loss Orchestration — a practical operating model retailers can adopt themselves to finally see loss the way offenders do: across channels, not within them. Attendees will learn how to enrich in store transactions using the unused data points hidden in their online “digital exhaust,” creating a unified lens that strengthens investigations, connects the dots between commerce channels, and adds meaningful analytical firepower to the systems they already own.

As retailers rethink how they measure and manage loss, a shift is underway - repositioning exception-based reporting traditionally focused on chasing bad guys, to an organizational resource delivering capital optimization. This session explores how Total Retail Loss transforms traditionally reactive AP data into an enterprise resource, placing high‑confidence insights into the hands of merchants, operators, finance, and store teams who can act early and make the greatest impact. Grocery represents the ultimate proving ground for this approach. With razor‑thin margins, complex operations, and constant cost pressure, it forces clarity where capital is truly at risk and where it delivers value. Attendees will walk away with a practical framework for repositioning Total Retail Loss strategies and exception-based reporting into strategic investments, aligning Asset Protection decisions to the broader initiatives of finance, operations, and the C-suite.   

Explore how emerging leaders in retail asset protection are intentionally shaping their careers and expanding their impact. This dynamic panel features rising LP/AP professionals — from field roles to corporate and specialized positions — who will share the practical steps they’ve taken to grow: deepening industry knowledge, pursuing learning opportunities and building strong cross‑functional partnerships.

Attendees will gain insight into how engaging with industry groups, professional associations and community networks can accelerate development and broaden career pathways. Designed for professionals at any stage, this session offers clear guidance, real-world perspectives and actionable strategies to help you strengthen your career trajectory and build the competencies needed to thrive as an asset protection leader.

As global volatility accelerates, retail asset protection teams must be prepared to think holistically, act quickly and advise confidently. This session immerses attendees in two high-impact scenarios — one rooted in a recent global event and one projecting a plausible future threat. Guided by leaders with deep enterprise risk expertise, participants will examine how global developments can disrupt retail operations, influence consumer behavior and challenge brand protection efforts. The session emphasizes how AP/LP professionals can build global situational awareness, strengthen cross-functional communication and develop proactive strategies that safeguard people, product and reputation. Designed for all experience levels, this session equips attendees with a forward-looking lens and practical tools for navigating an unpredictable world.

Fraud‑prevention strategies have traditionally been siloed — separated by inconsistent data access, differing mitigation methods and unclear ownership across teams. Because fraud manifests differently across business channels, many organizations struggle to build a unified, enterprise‑wide approach. In this session, you’ll learn how one of the largest and most complex retailers in the world is creating a business‑aligned fusion center to transform its fraud strategy. You’ll see how they are connecting disparate data sources, aligning teams and leveraging AI‑powered analytics to uncover gaps, strengthen link analysis and integrate fraud detection across the organization. Practical examples — including data visualizations, analytical maps, frameworks and tools — will bring this approach to life for retailers of all sizes.

Retailers are adapting LP strategies to account for generational differences in technology adoption, communication preferences and expectations around psychological safety and culture.

Younger retail workers show significantly different safety and reporting behaviors, including a strong preference for anonymous reporting and a higher level of discomfort when it comes to confronting aggressive customers. Older workers tend to prefer legacy processes, are slower to adopt and adapt to new technologies, and tend to view surveillance differently. Is there a method for juggling generational dynamics.

Join Wicklander-Zulawski CEO Dave Thompson as he hosts a live episode of the “Truth Be Told” podcast.

AI is rapidly entering the investigative toolbox — bringing both promise and risk. In this live “Truth Be Told” podcast recording, Thompson will be joined by Brandon May, PhD, a leading researcher in AI and interviewing science, to break down what today’s loss prevention and asset protection leaders need to know before adopting emerging tools. The two will explore where AI can genuinely enhance investigative work, its current scientific limitations, and the ethical, legal and reputational risks of misuse or overreliance. Attendees will gain practical guidance on bias, transparency, governance and the guardrails required for responsible implementation. Focused on clarity over hype, this conversation will equip decision‑makers with the right questions to ask as they evaluate AI’s role in sensitive, high‑stakes investigative environments.

Session details coming soon! 

Retailers are facing an alarming surge in phone‑based scams, fueled by increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics and the expanding reach of organized retail crime. Recent industry data shows that 70% of retailers experienced rising phone scams in the past year, marking one of the sharpest increases across all fraud categories. This session examines how criminals are exploiting phone‑based impersonation, AI‑generated voice technology and caller ID spoofing to deceive both customers and front-line retail employees. Panelists will also explore how phone scams act as gateways to broader fraud, including account takeovers, fraudulent returns, BOPIS exploitation and coordinated ORC activity targeting store teams. Attendees will leave with actionable insights into how retailers can strengthen defenses through cross‑functional fraud and AP collaboration, improved call verification processes, employee training and emerging AI‑based authentication technologies.