Written By: Brad Campbell | September 17, 2024
When it comes to securing high-end retail stores, protecting valuable merchandise from burglary and smash-and-grab theft are top concerns.
While traditional components of commercial security systems, including cameras and alarms, are important to have, they do nothing to physically prevent burglars, smash-and-grab thieves, or rioters and looters from breaking a storefront window or display case and making off with thousands of dollars worth of luxury retail items.
In fact, over the last few years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of brazen, large-scale smash-and-grab robberies known as “flash robs,” in which large groups of perpetrators carry out a smash-and-grab in broad daylight, right in front of employees, onlookers, and even security guards.
In order to prevent such incidents, along with burglary and looting, luxury retailers must create physical barriers to forced entry.
The best way to do this is to reinforce storefront windows, entryway doors, and display cases with anti-theft glass, so would-be intruders can’t take advantage of these vulnerable points to gain quick access to expensive merchandise.
To cost-effectively secure high-end retail stores against theft, we recommend containment-grade ArmorPlast AP25 glazing shields, which can be retrofitted to protect your existing glass against forced entry, burglary, smash-and-grab theft, and more.
ArmorPlast AP25 is non-glass security glazing that offers the virtually unbreakable strength of polycarbonate along with a glass-like surface hardness and appearance.
AP25 can be retrofitted over a retailer’s storefront glass, protecting the existing commercial glass from breaking. It can also be used to create smash-and-grab-proof display cases.
Because of its virtually unbreakable composition, would-be intruders can hit AP25 with common burglary tools like bats, sledgehammers, and crowbars all they want — it’s not going to give way or allow them to pass an arm through to open a door from the inside.
These glazing shields secure high-end retail stores 24/7 against a full range of threats, even acting as an alternative to board ups and roll-down security shutters during incidents of civil unrest.
Although AP25 is non-ballistic, meaning it can’t stop bullets, it will retain its integrity and remain a barrier to forced entry even if penetrated during a ballistic attack.
While the primary use of AP25 is to prevent forced entry, this level of access denial means that a secondary benefit is active threat protection, resulting in an extremely high level of security for luxury and high-risk retailers that can’t be attained using other security glazing products.
The number one way that burglars and smash-and-grab thieves gain entry to retail stores is by smashing their way through a glass window or door.
An experienced burglar or smash-and-grab thief knows exactly which doors and windows are most vulnerable and can make quick work of standard storefront glass, which is usually tempered glass.
All it takes is a blow or two from a sledgehammer (one of the most popular burglary tools these days) or a well-aimed chuck of a brick or even a piece of porcelain to make a tempered glass storefront window crumble.
ArmorPlast AP25 will keep your retail store’s tempered glass intact even in the face of determined forced entry attempts by would-be burglars, causing them to move on or delaying them long enough for the authorities to arrive if they trigger an alarm system.
On the other hand, smash-and-grab theft also commonly occurs as a crime of opportunity, both as a daily occurrence and during incidents of civil unrest and rioting.
Maybe someone is walking by and sees an expensive item in the window of your store, so they pick up a rock or brick, smash the storefront glass, and grab the item. Maybe there is civil unrest taking place and criminals are taking advantage of the chaos to break into high-end stores and steal expensive merchandise.
Either way, AP25 keeps the criminals out, protecting your storefront from such types of retail theft around the clock.
If you’re concerned about a possible ballistic attack directly against or in the vicinity of your high-end retail store, ArmorPlast AP25 can protect the people inside by preventing the attackers from gaining entry.
As we mentioned earlier, AP25 is non-ballistic, but even if it gets riddled with bullets it remains a formidable barrier to forced entry.
Alternatively, if you run a high-risk retail store and are concerned about the potential for armed robbery involving firearms, you might choose to install ballistic-grade ArmorPlast security glazing. These bullet-resistant glazing shields can resist impacts from a variety of different ballistic weapons, including high-caliber handguns and multi-shot firearms.
A luxury retail store might also choose to install bullet-resistant ArmorPlast shields simply because they offer the highest level of protection against all kinds of impacts, or perhaps because the store is located in a high-traffic downtown core that could potentially be the target of an active threat looking to cause random casualties.
In the case of an active threat, store employees could lock down the store and stay safe inside while authorities arrive to deal with the situation.
Not all threats to a retail store’s security are man-made ones. Storms and natural disasters also pose a threat, especially in hurricane zones and the southeastern states. Fortunately, ArmorPlast also secures high-end retail stores against these types of threats from mother nature.
ArmorPlast can prevent your storefront glass from shattering and breaking inwards when impacted by flying storm debris. It can also protect the glass and keep your storefront intact to mitigate further damage during storms that can arise from heavy rains and flooding.
This allows you and your employees to stay out of harm’s way while you wait for a storm or another natural disaster to settle down — you don’t have to worry about the condition of your storefront windows and doors and wonder whether your store’s security has been compromised.
Not only that, but ArmorPlast’s proprietary exterior coating is resistant to marring and easy to clean, so you can get your storefront back to normal quickly after a natural disaster.
ArmorPlast AP25 containment-grade glazing shields are one of the most cost-effective solutions when it comes to securing high-end retail stores against a full range of threats.
While primarily designed to prevent forced entry, burglary, smash-and-grab theft, and looting, ArmorPlast can also protect luxury retail stores and their occupants against active threats, storm damage, and other impacts.
The affordability and ease of installation should put ArmorPlast on any premium retail store owner’s radar when looking for ways to improve store security without significantly altering storefront windows, doors, or display cases.
Contact us today for more information about securing your retail store with ArmorPlast!
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