[bdowling]

You can easily avoid negative percentages by rephrasing. e.g., "Walmart profits are down 15% because of retail theft."

Theft loss makes sense to present in relation to profits because the thieves in these cases resell the goods. The profits that the retailer would have made are literally transferred to the thief. The retailer still has its fixed expenses (rent, utilities, labor), so the theft basically comes directly out of the bottom line.