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Respect for Shopworkers Week

14 November 2025

Crime must not become part of the day job 

At Sainsbury’s, our Chief Executive Simon always says that our colleagues are our number one asset. So, it therefore makes sense that colleague safety is our number one priority. We want our 141,000 brilliant colleagues to feel safe where they work, without any risk of violence or abuse.  

We are proud to be at the forefront of industry in introducing a range of security measures. We were the first retailer to introduce body-worn cameras in 2018 and, more recently, in 2024 we installed kiosk shields. We were a founding member of Project Pegasus, a policing partnership with business and Government to specifically target retail crime. Recently, we have been trialling facial recognition technology in two of our stores to stop prolific and serious offenders who cause the most harm.  

 

Crime must not become part of the day job 

At Sainsbury’s, our Chief Executive Simon always says that our colleagues are our number one asset. So, it therefore makes sense that colleague safety is our number one priority. We want our 141,000 brilliant colleagues to feel safe where they work, without any risk of violence or abuse.  

We are proud to be at the forefront of industry in introducing a range of security measures. We were the first retailer to introduce body-worn cameras in 2018 and, more recently, in 2024 we installed kiosk shields. We were a founding member of Project Pegasus, a policing partnership with business and Government to specifically target retail crime. Recently, we have been trialling facial recognition technology in two of our stores to stop prolific and serious offenders who cause the most harm.  

Respect for Shopworkers Week is a vital reminder that every colleague deserves to feel safe, valued, and supported at work. Our stores are more than places of business—they’re communities built on mutual respect. We’re proud of our longstanding partnership with USDAW, working together to better protect colleagues and tackle retail crime

Tracey Clements

Chief Retail, Logistics and Supply Chain Officer Tracey Clements

Have some Respect 

Since 2002, USDAW has been running its Freedom from Fear campaign to highlight retail violence. Organised nationwide by store representatives and proudly supported by Sainsbury’s, Respect for Shopworkers Week takes place every November in many of our stores. 


We really welcome Sainsbury’s ongoing commitment to help protect retail workers from the continued threat of abuse and violence in stores, along with tackling the rising tide of retail crime. It is an ongoing conversation Usdaw has with the company and one that I was pleased to continue with chief executive Simon Roberts when we visited the Heaton Park store in North Manchester during Respect Week. Our ‘Freedom from Fear’ campaign has long highlighted the unacceptable levels of violence faced by shopworkers, along with widespread concerns about safety across the retail sector. Alongside our negotiations at a national level, Usdaw health and safety reps in stores do a great job working with local managers to help prevent violence, threats and abuse against staff. I would like to thank all Sainsbury’s colleagues who got involved in Respect Week, the campaign really does make a difference.



Joanne Thomas

Usdaw General Secretary

During Respect Week, colleagues set up stands to raise awareness with customers that it’s never okay to harm colleagues, particularly in the busy festive period where tensions can rise.  

As part of the Freedom from Fear campaign, USDAW has been calling for retail violence to be addressed through introducing a specific offence for assaulting a retail worker. This would send a clear message that retail violence and abuse is unacceptable and Sainsbury’s wholeheartedly supports the measure. It’s a testament to USDAW’s many years of campaigning that this became a Labour manifesto commitment and now, Government is introducing it in its Crime & Policing Bill, currently going through Parliament.  

Government support 

As part of this year’s Respect Week, we were delighted to host Home Office Minister Lord Hanson and Retail Minister Kate Dearden in our Chiswick and Halifax stores. Colleagues shared their experiences of working in retail and the Ministers saw first-hand the security investments Sainsbury’s has made to better protect colleagues.  

Taking consistent steps to support our colleagues 

Here at Sainsbury’s, we will keep listening to our colleagues, investing in their safety and doing all that we can to work with Government and police forces around the country on further ways to tackle this issue. Hopefully, one day we’ll get to a point where Respect Week won’t need to happen at all.  

Purpose in action

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