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Lord Richard Walker, Chief Executive of Iceland, has extended a job offer to Walker Smith, a 54-year-old former Waitrose employee, after Smith claimed he was dismissed just two days following a confrontation with a shoplifter.
The incident involved a thief attempting to flee with armfuls of Lindt chocolate bunnies, each worth around £13.
Smith, who had worked at Waitrose’s Clapham Junction branch for 17 years, said he was left “crying inside” after losing his job last week.
In a public gesture on LinkedIn, Lord Walker, who shares the same surname, wrote: “You’re welcome to a job with us. We even share the same name…”
During the confrontation, Smith briefly struggled with the shoplifter before they escaped, prompting debate about staff safety and how supermarkets handle frontline incidents.
The Iceland CEO’s offer has been widely praised online as a “gesture of solidarity” and a boost for retail workers facing challenges in dealing with shoplifting.
A Waitrose spokesperson said: “The safety and security of our Partners and customers couldn’t be more important to us, and we have policies in place to protect both.
Waitrose insisted that the reporting of Mr Smith’s case, based on an interview he conducted with The Guardian newspaper, does not cover the “full facts of the situation”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp hit out at Waitrose saying the supermarket chain acted “disgracefully” over the sacking.
Philp wrote: “Staff safety must come first.
“But dismissing a long-serving employee in these circumstances sends entirely the wrong message.
“It penalises whose who act, while offenders are left unchecked.
“Of course the police and this failing Government must do more to tackle shoplifting.
“But store staff and the public should be supported and encouraged to intervene as well.
“Otherwise, shoplifting will continue to surge unchecked.”
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