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<\/div>\nIceland employees have been \u201cslapped, punched and threatened with weapons\u201d amid the recent surge in shoplifting, the supermarket\u2019s boss has said.<\/p>\n
Executive chairman Richard Walker told the MailOnline: \u201cEvery single week I receive an average of 12 reports of \u2018serious incidents\u2019 where managers and other colleagues have been attacked in our stores, almost always by shoplifters.<\/p>\n
\u201cColleagues are being slapped, punched and threatened with a range of weapons including knives, hammers, firearms and hypodermic needles.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther assaults have resulted in injuries ranging from a broken jaw to a fractured skull.\u201d<\/p>\n
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free<\/strong><\/h5>\nSign up\u00a0here\u00a0to g<\/span>et the latest news straight into your inbox each morning<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nCo-op store employees are also facing record number of attacks, with violent assaults up 25%, according to the retailer\u2019s campaigns and public affairs director Paul Gerrard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are running at about a thousand incidents of shoplifting a day across our two and a half thousand stores.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour or five colleagues will be physically attacked every day,\u201d\u00a0Gerrard told the MailOnline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen syringes, knives and we even saw a medieval mace a couple of years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The convenience store chain shared on Monday that it had hired undercover guards to patrol its shop floors to catch thieves.<\/p>\n
Walker and Gerrard are the latest retail bosses to speak out about the rise in violent attacks towards store staff as a result of the increase in shoplifting.<\/p>\n
John Lewis Partnership chair Sharon White described the recent boom as an \u201cepidemic\u201d, revealing yesterday that the surge in crime was costing the business \u00a312m year on year.<\/p>\n
Primark owner Associated British Foods chief executive George Weston called for tougher enforcement on shoplifters earlier this week as the fashion retailer experienced a record number of cases and assaults on workers.<\/p>\n
He explained the retailer was introducing body cameras for staff, as well as increasing its CCTV and security guards to tackle the issue.<\/p>\n
Co-op store employees are also facing record number of attacks, with violent assaults up 25%, according to the retailer\u2019s campaigns and public affairs director Paul Gerrard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are running at about a thousand incidents of shoplifting a day across our two and a half thousand stores.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour or five colleagues will be physically attacked every day,\u201d\u00a0Gerrard told the MailOnline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen syringes, knives and we even saw a medieval mace a couple of years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The convenience store chain shared on Monday that it had hired undercover guards to patrol its shop floors to catch thieves.<\/p>\n
Walker and Gerrard are the latest retail bosses to speak out about the rise in violent attacks towards store staff as a result of the increase in shoplifting.<\/p>\n
John Lewis Partnership chair Sharon White described the recent boom as an \u201cepidemic\u201d, revealing yesterday that the surge in crime was costing the business \u00a312m year on year.<\/p>\n
Primark owner Associated British Foods chief executive George Weston called for tougher enforcement on shoplifters earlier this week as the fashion retailer experienced a record number of cases and assaults on workers.<\/p>\n
He explained the retailer was introducing body cameras for staff, as well as increasing its CCTV and security guards to tackle the issue.<\/p>\n