Hi-tech detector to stop Tesco thieves

Tesco is cracking down on store theft by rolling out a state of the art electronic article surveillance system.

The UK's largest retailer has invested a 'seven-figure sum' in the project, a record spend, according to John Garrett, Tesco's retail new technology controller.

The system, based on acousto-magnetic technology, operates on a 58KHz radio frequency and is able to detect labels on produce inside a metal shopping trolley. Existing systems use lower frequencies which are affected by metal trolleys or baskets.

In the initial stages of the project, tags are removed at the point of sale. But Tesco is piloting a source-protection system in which hidden labels are inserted at the point of manufacture which are then deactivated automatically at the point of sale.

This reduces theft, cuts laborious labelling processes and boosts sales of high-value products which are normally locked in cabinets.

Tesco chose the UltraMax system, developed by Sensormatic UK, after a three-year pilot of several electronic tagging systems. Next month it will begin implementation of the system at selected stores, initially tagging CDs, tapes, videos and clothing. Other UK stores will follow.

Sensormatic is developing a new generation of intelligent chip tags which will be able to hold information about a product and also have a write-to capability.