1.6.5.2Vertical

Loss Prevention Consulting

Retail and corporate loss prevention advisory firms reducing theft and shrinkage.

Market snapshot

These figures describe Physical Security Services (1.6.5), the segment that Loss Prevention Consulting sits within — not Loss Prevention Consulting on its own.

Market size
~$37B
Growth
~4.6%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
Companies
~7,707 firms
Firms by employee count

63.4% of firms have fewer than 20 employees — 4,885 micro-businesses, below most mandates.

The investable universe2,822 firms with 20+ employees
20–99
2,02672%
100–499
62522%
500+
1716%

Percentages are of the 20+ employee universe. 20–99 and 100–499 are the lower-middle market; 500+ is at scale.

~765,000 security officers — a labor-intensive, contract-based market.

NAICS 561612. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Economic Census.

Business model & economics

Revenue model

Recurring per-hour guarding contracts

Key economics

Revenue per firm
$4,806,545
Revenue per employee
$45,197
Employees per firm
99.2
Recurring revenue
High

multi-year guarding contracts with steady renewal

EBITDA margin
5–10%
Capex intensity
Low

Characteristics

  • Labor-intensive — payroll is 65% of revenue; margin comes from utilization, not scale
  • Deep strategic-buyer pool — 171 firms exceed 500 employees, so a scaled asset has trade buyers
  • Wage-dominated cost structure keeps margins thin.
  • Recurring contracts provide steady, predictable revenue.
  • Remote monitoring and technology are reshaping the labor model.

NAICS 561612. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Economic Census.

Geographic concentration

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIndianaKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaNew JerseyNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansasDelawareIowaKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew HampshireOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontLouisianaRhode IslandCaliforniaDistrict of ColumbiaHawaiiNew York

Measured by where guards actually work rather than where the firm is registered — a security company deploys its people to client sites, so employment is the honest footprint. On that basis it concentrates where the high-value targets are: Washington, D.C. (federal buildings, with Virginia just behind), Hawaii (military and tourism), and the dense urban markets of New York and California. Security demand isn't uniform; it follows what needs protecting.

District of ColumbiaHawaiiNew YorkCalifornia

NAICS 561612. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 County Business Patterns (employment by state). Concentration shown by location quotient.

M&A deal context

Deal activityHigh

Who’s acquiring

  • Global guarding consolidators
  • Security-technology integrators
  • PE-backed security platforms

What’s driving deals

  • Rapid roll-up of regional guarding firms by global operators.
  • Shift toward remote monitoring and security technology.
  • Scale economics in a labor-intensive, low-margin market.

Find Loss Prevention Consulting acquisition targets

Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Loss Prevention Consulting (1.6.5.2) and build a targeted deal pipeline.

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