"When you lock things up ... you don't sell as many of them," CEO Timothy Wentworth said during a recent earnings call

Retailers have been faced with increases in shoplifting and retail theft. But anti-theft prevention can hurt retail sales, says the CEO of Walgreens.

Walgreens is struggling to deter shoplifting at its stores, according to CEO Tim Wentworth, who described it as "a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately."

Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the parent company of Duane Reade, acknowledged to investors during a Jan. 10 earnings call that the company's asset protection tactic of locking merchandise to prevent retail theft has slowed sales.

Walgreens’ strategy of locking up merchandise — from deodorants to bags of M&M’s — to deter theft has backfired, according to CEO Tim Wentworth. “It is a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately,

Despite efforts to prevent retail theft, Walgreens reported a 32% in "shrink," or a loss of inventory that can’t be accounted for through sales.

The CEO of Walgreens suggested that placing their products under lock and key may have actually backfired. "When you lock things up … you don't sell as many of them," he said. Walgreens’ plan to combat increasing theft by locking products up at their stores has hurt sales,

In a Q1 2025 earnings call, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth admitted that its approach to tackling shoplifting at its stores has backfired. That’s a likely result as an increase in asset protection usually leads to a dip in sales,