Sephora partners with Vector Security for technology upgrades, loss prevention strategies

PITTSBURGH, March 24, 2015 – Sephora, the visionary beauty-retail concept with nearly 400 stores in North America, has chosen Vector Security as its partner while it focuses on technology upgrades to enhance loss prevention in its North American locations.

“We selected Vector Security for their focus on quality and innovation,” said Josh Dykstra, Sephora’s Loss Prevention Operations Manager. “Where others fell short, Vector Security had a clear technology roadmap and eye towards the future, which is critical for us as we look to upgrade technology within our stores.”

Those upgrades include migration from analog to IP cameras, as well as conversion to newer alarm panels and electronic article surveillance (EAS) technologies.

Already, alarm monitoring conversions have been completed and conversion to IP cameras with hybrid digital video recorders (DVRs) are currently in process, with approximately 30-50 stores being turned over at a time. Josh would like to eventually see the cameras used not just for video surveillance, but also for analytics that can help manage loss, assist with employee training and drive critical business decisions.

“We could use video analytics to help us identify top-of-mind issues such as large-scale shop lifting, suspicious point-of-sale transactions and returns,” Josh explained, adding that he is also excited about the benefits of Vector Security’s false alarm reduction and fines management services.

While Sephora offers public wi-fi in all its stores and has a network that supports automated shopping tools and customized beauty services, the company is interested in adding a secondary network; discussions are taking place with Industry Retail Group (IRG), a subsidiary of Vector Security that offers managed network services.

“We are excited to have been chosen by Sephora,” said Rich Brostrom, National Account Manager, Vector Security. “They are a great match for us as we both share a vision of innovation and leadership within our respective niches. We look forward to continuing to help move Sephora to newer technologies and set them up to take advantage of future opportunities.”

“All in all, we have been very pleased with our relationship with Vector Security,” Josh said. “We appreciate their level of service. The call center, service team and technicians have been a great resource for us. We look forward to continue working with them.”