Rethinking Asset Protection Leadership in a Shifting Retail Landscape
Historically, building a solid asset protection (AP) program meant hiring a full-time leader to design strategies, oversee execution, and support stores. But for many retailers—especially small and mid-sized operations—that model isn’t realistic anymore. Not because the need has disappeared, but because the resources haven’t kept pace with the risk.
Bridging the Leadership Gap—Without the Full-Time Overhead
Retailers today face a perfect storm: rising shrink, more aggressive external threats, persistent internal losses, and strained operational bandwidth. At the same time, full-time AP leadership roles are being cut, left unfilled, or deprioritized entirely.
That’s left many teams exposed—with no one steering the risk strategy, enforcing controls, or holding the line on accountability.
Fractional asset protection leadership offers a practical middle ground.
Instead of hiring a full-time AP executive, retailers can bring in a seasoned leader on a part-time or contract basis—someone who can assess risk, build or repair internal controls, oversee investigations and compliance, and report directly to ownership or senior leadership. It’s executive-level support, scaled to fit the business.
This model isn’t about outsourcing responsibility—it’s about right-sizing leadership to match where your business is today, and where it’s going.
Who Benefits From This Model?
Not every retailer needs a 40-hour-per-week AP executive. But many need AP leadership in some form.
Fractional leadership is especially valuable for:
Emerging brands or growth-stage retailers who are scaling operations
Operators recovering from major loss events or audit failures
Organizations that want structure and accountability without expanding headcount
Companies that have eliminated their AP function but still face shrink problems
What Makes This Model Work
Fractional AP leadership isn’t a compromise—it’s a strategic fit for retailers who:
✅ Know they need AP leadership but can’t justify a full-time hire
✅ Have experienced losses or breakdowns and need to regain control
✅ Want seasoned expertise without the time and cost of hiring internally
✅ Value flexibility and results over titles and internal bureaucracy
✅ Prefer a direct line to leadership and clear, actionable feedback
If you’re nodding along, this approach likely fits your operation better than the traditional model.
Moving Forward
At Aviana Controls, we’ve started offering Fractional AP Leadership to select clients who need executive-level support but aren’t ready (or don’t need) to bring someone in full-time.
We’ve seen firsthand how powerful this model can be—especially when it’s focused, proactive, and aligned with the retailer’s goals.
If your team is navigating shrink, struggling with internal accountability, or just lacking an AP voice at the table, this might be a model worth exploring.
Not because it’s trendy—because it works.