You have a significant investment in your inventory, why risk losing it to preventable theft?

A majority of retail break-and-enters are crimes of opportunity. Thieves identify easy targets and conduct smash-and-grab thefts after regular business hours.  This type of crime is especially prevalent among retailers whose storefronts provide ready access to high-value or in-demand goods. Prime targets include high-end clothing retailers, jewelry stores, and convenience stores selling cigarettes and lottery tickets.

While there are a number of solutions available to help prevent these types of thefts, few offer the benefits of metal grilles when it comes to deterring and preventing unwanted entry.  Metal grilles are retractable physical barriers that extend across window, door and other openings. They are available in rolling and folding configurations. Rolling grille doors retract up into a housing mounted above an opening while folding grilles retract across the opening and reside at the sides of the opening when not needed.

To understand the advantages of retractable grilles, let us consider the problem they solve – they help prevent smash and grab style thefts – and explore window bars and security films as alternatives to retractable grilles.

Security bars serve as an effective deterrent however; they have a negative impact on the store’s appearance. Retailers spend significant time and effort trying to draw customers into their store, why would you want to spoil the look with imposing security bars.

Advancements to window film technology have allowed them to become an effective method to prevent smash and grab losses. The clear films are easily applied and do not alter a stores appearance. Unfortunately, by blending in seamlessly with the existing storefront glass, the film does dissuade attempts to shatter the glass.  The film prevents entry through the broken glass but it does not prevent glass breakage and large glass windows are expensive to replace.

Retractable grilles provide the best of both worlds. They retract during business hours, allowing the store to maintain a clean aesthetic. After hours, the grilles cover exposed openings, providing a physical barrier as well as a strong visual deterrent for criminals.

Retractable grills are also good for securing entry doors.  Thin walled aluminum extrusions are the most common materials for retail doors and doorframes. While the lock hardware may be excellent, the aluminum frame creates an inherent weakness. Grille doors add a second layer of protection in front of store doors, helping to overcome the limitations of traditional doors, while retracting out-of-site during store hours.

Doors are available in folding or roll-up styles and are either manually operated or equipped with motor assist.  The cost of retractable grilles depends upon the size of the opening and the desired grille configuration. These costs quickly become insignificant when compared to the cost of damage and lost inventory from a smash and grab type theft.  Another cost to consider in your decision is the impact of theft on your insurance. While insurance may cover a portion of your losses, frequent claims will cause premiums to rise; you may even find that after a number of claims no insurers will offer coverage.

At McKinley, we sell, install and service a range of folding and roll-up style grilles.  We would be happy to discuss you application to help you identify a suitable security solution.