NEWS ROUND-UP
ORIS Forums wins Best Collaborative Solution at Retail Fraud awards
It picked up the award at the ceremony at the Retail Risk Conference which was held at the Novotel, Hammersmith on 22nd July 2021, 9 months after the original event was cancelled because of COVID-19.
It scooped the award as a result of the not-for-profit facilitation organisation becoming busier than ever having taken its traditional face-to-face collaboration online, and with greater regularity as the fluid nature of the pandemic continued to morph.
Uncertainty meant that members of the 11 sector and function specific Forums were looking for greater peer-to-peer advice and more dynamic risk assessments on everything from increased violence to sanitising protocols and social distancing enforcement in stores and DCs.
This was in addition to the ‘business as usual’ agenda's that became unmovable certainties in the LP and risk calendars around peak trading, stock counts, audits and, what was then, the potential juggernaut of Brexit at the end of the year.
Commenting on the award, managing director of ORIS Forums Louise Kadege said: “We are delighted to have won this award – it’s a testament not only to the hard work of the ORIS Team, but also to the commitment shown by our members.
“While the UK locked down during 2020, ORIS Forums was busier than ever hosting daily and weekly Microsoft Teams calls for members trying to make sense of what was an ever-changing business landscape for retailers and those operating in the hospitality sectors.
“We became a vital conduit through which many organisations learned of the changes that were happening every day. We shared information and circulated daily reports and announcements, as they happened – that level of contact and collaboration made a big difference,” she added.
Launched in 2006, the Fashion Forum was the first of the not-for-profit Forums. Since then, 10 other sector-specific or discipline-led Forums have taken shape in both in the UK and Ireland offering support to members including access to influencers and decision-makers in Government and law enforcement.
The Forums now represent more than 140 different brands with a turnover of more than £300 billion. Despite lockdown, during the last year, ORIS Forums has welcomed 15 new members from the retail, distribution and hospitality sectors while 14 existing members have joined other Forums to extend their knowledge reach.
John Rimmer, Head of Health and Safety Risk and Insurance at Dunelm, and a member of ORIS’s Health & Safety Forum, commented: “ORIS Forums has had a massive influence on all matters of safety, especially through the COVID crisis. For all H&S managers, this is a ‘go-to’ group of colleagues that can help understand and guide businesses through the regulation jungle. We have saved thousands of pounds over the last 5 years by being a member of ORIS Forums. Being able to share experiences with other retailers and engage with expert speakers on health and safety matters is a massive tick in the box for our business.”
There is now a mutual respect and pragmatic working relationship between ORIS and the UK’s 43 police forces, and the creation of a greater understanding of issues faced with the Police and Crime Commissioners, Business Crime Partnerships and BIDS, all of whom work with ORIS.
At Government level, ORIS Forums also has a close working relationship with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and also sits on the National Retail Crime Steering Group.
