Shrinkage in one store is higher than in all the others. The cameras show nothing unusual. The stock counts are signed off every month. It takes an outside investigator three weeks to find out why: a supervisor and a delivery driver are short-shipping deliveries and selling the difference to a small wholesaler across town. Meanwhile, the head office team is dealing with a different problem entirely, as fake versions of the brand's best-selling products appear on social media at a third of the price.
Retail runs on thin margins and high volumes, so small leaks become large losses quickly. Our retail investigation services help retailers, franchise groups, e-commerce businesses and consumer brands tackle internal theft, supplier fraud, counterfeits and diversion. As an international investigation firm headquartered in Dubai and backed by the 30+ years of GREVESGROUP®, we support retail clients in more than 100 countries.
Investigation Challenges in Retail
Retail businesses face risk from inside the store, across the supply chain and online:
- Internal theft and collusion between staff, delivery partners and customers
- Supplier and procurement fraud, including kickbacks, short deliveries and inflated invoices
- Counterfeit goods sold online and in physical markets under your brand or your suppliers' brands
- Grey market and parallel imports undercutting authorised pricing
- Franchise risk, where partners misreport sales, breach standards or damage the brand
- E-commerce fraud, including return fraud, reseller abuse and fake storefronts
- Brand impersonation through fake websites, social media shops and promotions scams
Our Investigation Services for Retail
Corporate Investigation
When stock, cash or margins go missing, our corporate investigators find out how. Internal theft investigations examine stock movements, delivery records, point-of-sale data and staff relationships, supported by discreet enquiries and interviews. We also investigate supplier fraud in retail, including kickbacks to buyers, fake credit notes and collusive pricing.
Brand Protection
Our counterfeit goods investigations monitor marketplaces, social commerce and messaging channels for fakes, identify high-volume sellers, carry out test purchases and trace stock to importers and manufacturers. We support takedowns, raids and seizures to stop counterfeit supply at its source.
IP Investigation
Retail brands depend on trademarks, designs and packaging. We investigate look-alike products and copied trade dress, carry out trademark use investigations for opposition and cancellation cases, and gather evidence against infringers.
Due Diligence
Our franchise due diligence investigates prospective franchisees and master franchise partners: their ownership, funding, business track record, litigation and reputation. We also check suppliers, landlords, joint venture partners and acquisition targets before you commit.
Background Check
Retailers hire at volume and often under time pressure. We provide pre-employment screening for store managers, buyers, finance staff and cash-handling roles, with deeper executive checks for senior appointments.
Private Investigation
Our mystery shopping investigations and discreet store visits check whether franchisees and branches follow pricing, product and brand standards, and whether unauthorised products are being sold. Lawful commercial surveillance supports internal theft and diversion cases.
Claim Investigation
We help retailers and their insurers verify fire, flood, burglary and stock loss claims, checking the cause and extent of loss against stock records and trading history.
Process Service
Actions against counterfeit sellers, defaulting franchisees and suppliers abroad require proper service. We serve claims, injunctions and judgments internationally with court-ready proof.
Grey Market and Parallel Imports
Genuine products sold outside your authorised network cause real damage: authorised partners lose sales, pricing collapses and customers buy products with no warranty or local support. Our grey market investigations use batch codes, serial numbers, market purchases and supply chain enquiries to identify where stock leaks from your distribution and who is moving it. The findings let you enforce distribution agreements and close the leak.
Online Retail and E-Commerce Risk
For online retailers, fraud does not need a shop floor. Fake storefronts copy your site and take payments for goods that never arrive. Organised groups exploit return and refund policies. Unauthorised resellers buy in bulk during promotions and resell on marketplaces. Our online investigators identify the people and companies behind these schemes, connect linked accounts and payment channels, and prepare evidence for platforms, payment providers and courts.
Franchise Compliance Investigations
Franchising lets a brand grow fast, but it also puts the brand in the hands of partners it does not control day to day. Common problems include under-reported sales that reduce royalty payments, unauthorised outlets opened under the brand, products sourced from unapproved suppliers and franchisees running competing businesses on the side. Our investigators verify outlet activity, visit stores discreetly, check the franchisee's other business interests and compare observed trading with reported figures. The findings give you the evidence to enforce the franchise agreement, recover unpaid royalties or terminate the relationship on solid ground.
Retail Sectors We Support
We work with supermarkets and hypermarkets, fashion and footwear, luxury goods, electronics, cosmetics and beauty, pharmacies, jewellery and watches, home furnishings, sporting goods, duty-free operators and online marketplaces. Each has its own risk profile, and we shape each investigation around the losses that matter most in that segment.
Typical Engagements
The scenarios below are illustrative examples of the kind of work we carry out in this sector.
Store shrinkage
A retail chain sees losses in three branches in one city. Investigation shows a pattern of short deliveries signed off by the same shift supervisors, with stock resold to a local trader. The evidence supports dismissals and a police complaint.
Counterfeits on social media
A cosmetics brand finds its products sold through dozens of social media accounts at low prices. We link the accounts to two wholesalers and a small production unit, and support an enforcement action.
Franchise partner check
A fashion brand is about to appoint a master franchisee for a new region. Due diligence reveals unpaid debts to a previous franchisor and litigation with landlords, and the brand chooses another partner.
What You Receive
Clear reports with findings, evidence packs, photographs and test purchase records where relevant, identified targets and recommended actions for HR, legal or enforcement.
How We Work with Retail Clients
We work with loss prevention, legal, brand protection, franchise and HR teams. Engagements can be single cases or ongoing programmes covering monitoring, store checks and counterfeit enforcement across several markets.
Why Retailers Choose Risk Investigators
Store floor to supply chain
We investigate internal theft, supplier fraud and counterfeits within one relationship.
Online and offline
Digital investigation linked to field enquiries and test purchases.
Enforcement experience
GREVESGROUP® has more than 30 years of supporting action against counterfeiters.
Multi-market coverage
Investigators in more than 100 countries.
Programme or project
One-off cases or ongoing monitoring and enforcement, with reporting your leadership can follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you investigate internal theft in retail?
We analyse stock, delivery and sales data, identify patterns, and use discreet enquiries, lawful surveillance and interviews to establish who is responsible and how the theft works.
Can you find the source of counterfeit products sold online?
Yes. We identify high-volume sellers, carry out test purchases and trace the stock through wholesalers and importers to the manufacturer.
What is franchise due diligence?
It is an investigation of a prospective franchisee or master franchise partner, covering ownership, funding, business history, litigation and reputation, before you sign the agreement.
Do you offer mystery shopping for brand compliance?
Yes. Our discreet store visits check pricing, product authenticity and brand standards at franchise and partner outlets.
Can you trace grey market stock?
Yes. We use batch and serial numbers, test purchases and supply chain enquiries to identify which distributor or partner is leaking stock.
Do you investigate supplier kickbacks?
Yes. We investigate relationships between buyers and suppliers, fake vendors, inflated invoices and short deliveries.
Do you work with e-commerce businesses?
Yes. We investigate fake storefronts, organised return and refund fraud, unauthorised resellers and brand impersonation online.
Can you check whether a franchisee is under-reporting sales?
Yes. We verify trading activity through discreet store visits, footfall observation and enquiries, and compare what we observe with reported figures to support royalty audits and enforcement.
Do you investigate cash theft and refund fraud at stores?
Yes. We analyse point-of-sale data, refunds, voids and cash handling patterns, then use discreet enquiries, lawful surveillance and interviews to identify who is responsible.