Foodstuffs North Island (FSNI), the 100% locally owned co-operative behind PAK’nSAVE, New World, and Four Square stores across the North Island, has been recognised for its leadership in retail crime prevention, winning two awards at the inaugural New Zealand Retail Risk Fraud Awards in Auckland last night.  

FSNI took home both the Retail Risk – Best Loss Prevention Team Award and the Retail Risk – Most Innovative Retail Risk Management Initiative Award for its work trialling facial recognition and its commitment to crime prevention, staff safety, and working with law enforcement. 

The New Zealand Retail Risk Fraud Awards are run by international organisation, Retail Risk and recognise excellence in fraud prevention across industries. They celebrate organisations and individuals making significant efforts to reduce financial crime, enhance security, and drive collaboration. By highlighting best practices, the awards encourage businesses to strengthen fraud prevention strategies. 

Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive, Chris Quin said: "Keeping our people and customers safe is always our priority. Our teams have worked incredibly hard to bring in smart technology and strong partnerships to help tackle retail crime and aggression. It’s great to see their efforts recognised. We’ll keep working with police, security experts, and our communities to stay ahead of these challenges and make sure we retain community trust, and our stores remain safe places to work and shop."  

Over the past 18 months, FSNI has implemented a trial of facial recognition in 25 of its stores. The results have been impressive with over 130 serious incidents prevented, including violent assaults and verbal abuse. By deterring repeat offenders, FSNI has created a safer shopping environment for both customers and store teams. 

FSNI has also worked closely with key stakeholders, including technology providers, the Police, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and an independent evaluator, to ensure the trial meets all privacy, legal and ethical standards.