Iceland boss offers job to Waitrose worker sacked after tackling Easter egg shoplifter
The supermarket has faced backlash over the decision to dismiss the employee who had worked at the company for over 17 years.
The boss of Iceland supermarket has offered a job to a former Waitrose employee who was sacked after tackling a shoplifter who was attempting to steal Easter Eggs.
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Lord Richard Walker, Iceland chief executive, has reached out to employee Walker Smith, 54, after he claimed he was dismissed by Waitrose two days after confronting a shoplifter who was attempting to steal chocolate easter eggs.
The incident saw the shoplifter attempt to flee with armfuls of boxes containing Lindt chocolate bunnies, which retail for around £13 each.
Mr Smith was left "crying inside" after being dismissed by the supermarket last week, with the Iceland boss, who is also named Walker, now extending a job offer to the retail worker.
Now, the Iceland boss and the Prime Minister's cost of living tsar has written in a LinkedIn post: “You’re welcome to a job with us. We even share the same name…”
The incident saw Mr Walker, who had worked at the retailer’s Clapham Junction branch for 17 years, engage in a brief struggle with the shoplifter before they escaped.
Read more: The law already exists to tackle shoplifting, police must start using it
Speaking after Mr Smith was dismissed, 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”.
It comes after Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Waitrose had acted “disgracefully” by sacking Walker Smith, and insisted he should be reinstated and even given a bonus for his actions.
He said he regretted his actions, but had been spurred to intervene by watching thefts at the store “every hour of every day for the last five years” and not being allowed to do anything.
In a letter to Waitrose managing director Tom Denyard posted on social media, Mr Philp called for Mr Smith to be reinstated and paid a bonus “for his bravery and initiative”.
Letter to CEO of Waitrose calling for their employee Walker Smith to be reinstated and given a bonus - after he was disgracefully sacked for tackling a shoplifter pic.twitter.com/oKp0TEGFrf
— Chris Philp MP (@CPhilpOfficial) April 6, 2026
He said: “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.”
The incident comes amid a rise in shoplifting, with offences increasing 5% in the year to September 2025, according to the latest figures.
Waitrose has said the “safety and security” of their workers and customers is the reason they have policies in place to stop actions like those of Mr Smith.
In a statement, Waitrose said: “We’ve had incidents where our partners have been hospitalised when challenging shoplifters.
“Luckily, they have always recovered, but that might not always be the case.
“There is a serious danger to life in tackling shoplifters.
“We refuse to put anyone’s life at risk and that’s why we have policies in place that are very clearly understood and must be strictly followed.
“As a responsible employer, we never want to be in a position where we are notifying families of a tragedy because someone tried to stop a theft.
“Nothing we sell is worth risking lives for.
“The reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation.”
Waitrose noted that while it would not discuss Mr Smith’s case specifically, the “correct process” was followed, including an appeals procedure.