Big Brother Can Target Those Shoplifting Via Shopping Cart

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When Evolution Robotics Inc. was founded four years ago, its business plan called for using its advanced pattern recognition technology to find weaponry in dense urban areas.


Now, the Pasadena company is finding that its future may lie beneath the checkout counter.


The company, launched at the Idealab business incubator, has inked deals with five supermarket chains to test LaneHawk, which uses pattern recognition technology to detect six-packs of Coke, dog food and other goods stashed away in the underbellies of shopping carts.


The supermarkets, including Cataret. N.J.-based Pathmark Stores Inc., are instituting pilot programs by putting small LaneHawk cameras in their five highest-volume checkout aisles. The programs are to last four to six months and help determine if the device is cost effective.


Alec Hudnut, Evolution’s president and former managing director of Idealab, said he hadn’t considered applying the technology to grocery stores before he was approached by a supermarket company concerned about merchandise losses.


“If you can recognize a weapon in a crowd, we would at least have a good shot at doing this. It was a very logical idea,” he said.


The LaneHawk doesn’t catch everything. It must view 10 percent of an item to let the cashier know that it is in the cart’s bottom. If it does, it alerts the cashier to add the item to the bill.


Supermarkets make about $100 in profits daily per lane on $10,000 in revenues, but they can lose $10 to $20 from items customers stow away in the shopping cart bottoms. Prior to LaneHawk, their methods of reducing checkout theft were decidedly low-tech: installing mirrors, reconfiguring aisles and adding extra baggers.


At Pathmark, cashiers have been advised to watch out for items in the bottoms of carts. “We are enthused about the potential for LaneHawk because of the operational benefits,” said Harvey Gutman, a senior vice president of the supermarket chain.



Hotel Redux


Pomeranc Group and Dodd Mitchell, who oversaw renovation of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, have begun work on the 110-room Beverly Pavilion in Beverly Hills. The renovation could reach $14 million and is expected to be finished in six to eight months.


The Beverly Pavilion is a far cry from the Roosevelt and most recently it flew the Best Western flag, but it’s located on prime Wilshire Boulevard property near Rodeo Drive.


The New Jersey-based Pomeranc Group, which also owns several properties in New York, spent $21 million to purchase the Beverly Hills hotel in a sale that closed a month ago.


The Beverly Pavilion will be losing its Best Western affiliation, and its name will be changed to the Thompson Beverly Hills. A new restaurateur will also be brought on.


Mitchell described the look of the hotel as “Four Seasons with an edge.” He said his design will include hand-blown smoke glass chandeliers in the rooms, floor-to-ceiling stone in the bathrooms, and polished steel in the hallways.



New Clothes


Denim veteran Joie Rucker doesn’t think the high-end jeans craze is about to fizzle, but she’s added Puka, a casual pants brand, to her company’s clothing lineup just in case.


Rucker launched her company, Santa Monica-based Tres Angeles, this year after splitting with longtime partner Sean Barron. The pair owned Dutch LLC, known for its premium Joie Jeans brand sold in Barneys and other top retailers.


Tres Angeles lineup includes ArchIndigo, a premium denim brand, but also Puka, a casual wear line that could stand on its own if the denim fad slows. Puka and ArchIndigo are being sold in stores such as Fred Segal, Planet Blue and Bergdorf Goodman. Rucker estimated that sales of the two brands, which start at $185, will reach $3.5 million this year.


Rucker, who formerly designed for Guess Inc. and Levi Strauss Co., said there’s less competition in casual wear than in denim. “There is room and definitely a need for alternative bottom fabrics and styles,” she said.



Veggie Tale


Organic vegeterian restaurant Real Food Daily has shut its Beverly Hills location, but a new one could sprout up in the San Fernando Valley.


Studio City is a likely spot for Real Food, said Ann Gentry, the founder and president of Real Food’s parent RFD Inc. She said the area’s residents don’t currently have many options for vegan fare, and studio traffic could drive business to a new restaurant.


Gentry closed the Beverly Drive restaurant because it was too close to Real Food’s Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations. Even with the closure, she said sales have held steady as customers migrate to Real Food’s open locations.



*Staff reporter Rachel Brown can be reached by phone at (323) 549-5225, ext. 224, or by e-mail at

[email protected]

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