Iceland chair Richard Walker has offered a job to former Waitrose employee Walker Smith after Smith was dismissed for intervening in a shoplifting incident at a south London store.

Smith, who had worked for Waitrose for 17 years, was sacked after attempting to stop a suspected shoplifter taking Lindt Easter products from the retailer’s Clapham Junction branch.

The incident has triggered a public backlash and renewed scrutiny of non-intervention policies used across the sector.

Waitrose has defended its position, saying the “safety and security” of staff and customers is paramount and that it has policies in place to protect both.

In a statement, the retailer said some partners had previously been hospitalised after challenging shoplifters, underlining why it requires staff not to intervene directly.

Walker first made the offer publicly on LinkedIn, and Iceland has since confirmed it is progressing job discussions with Smith.

The move gives the rival supermarket an opportunity to position itself alongside frustrated shopfloor sentiment at a time when retail theft remains high on the industry agenda.

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show shoplifting offences in England and Wales rose 5 per cent to 519,381 in the year to September 2025.

Separate British Retail Consortium data found there were 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against shopworkers every day last year, still the second-highest level on record.

The episode is unlikely to change retailer policy overnight, but it has sharpened the industry conversation around where the line should be drawn between deterrence and duty of care.

For many operators, that balance is becoming one of the hardest parts of managing stores in a tougher crime environment.

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