Supermarket chain Iceland has unveiled a new initiative to financially reward customers who report shoplifting incidents in its stores – a move designed to counter rising retail crime rates across Britain.
The scheme, announced by executive chairman Richard Walker, will see shoppers receive a £1 credit on their Iceland Bonus Card for alerting staff to thefts in progress.
Shoplifting represents a substantial burden for Iceland, with the company estimating annual losses of around £20m. Mr Walker highlighted that this figure not only impacts the retailer’s bottom line but also restricts its ability to lower prices and invest further in staff wages.
“We’re encouraging our loyal customers to help sound the alarm, and if they do help to catch a shoplifter, we’ll top up their Bonus Card to spend in store,” said Mr Walker, in a statement following his announcement on Channel 5 News last Thursday.
“Some people see this as a victimless crime, it is not. It’s a cost to the business, to the hours we pay our colleagues, and it involves intimidation and violence.”
Iceland clarified that shoplifters need not be apprehended for customers to qualify for the reward; incidents merely need to be reported and verified.
The company stressed that it is not encouraging shoppers to directly intervene – instead, patrons are advised to alert the nearest member of staff and provide a detailed description of the alleged offender.
Mr Walker believes that empowering customers to participate in crime prevention could ultimately help reduce prices. “We’d like customers to help us lower our prices even more by pointing out shoplifters,” he added.
Retail Theft on the Rise Across the UK
Iceland’s announcement comes as shoplifting surges across England and Wales. The Office for National Statistics reports that police recorded 530,643 shoplifting offences in the year ending March 2025 – a staggering 20% rise from 444,022 the previous year and the highest figure since current recording began in 2002-03.
The issue is widespread, with not only supermarkets affected. Recent data shows that approximately nine out of ten pharmacies have reported both increases in shoplifting and aggression towards their staff over the past year.
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Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that shoplifting had “got out of hand” in the UK. When questioned about the appropriateness of displaying images of known shoplifters in shop windows, she responded, “It’s on all of us to be aware of what is going on in our local communities.”
Government Response
In response to mounting concerns, the government has pledged a boost in neighbourhood policing, promising thousands more officers on patrol by spring 2026. The hope is that increased surveillance and community involvement – such as Iceland’s incentive scheme – can help stem the tide of retail crime and protect both businesses and staff from further losses and intimidation.
