UK retailers need to do more for diversity and inclusion, BRC says

UK retailers must put more strategies in place regarding diversity and inclusion among their top executives, the BRC reported. 

According to a new BRC report, 93% of retailers have implemented a strategy to improve diversity and inclusion across their business, while many have expanded these plans in order to focus on areas such as social mobility and disability. 

However, the report found that there is still a “long road ahead” among those 66% of retailers who have no specific targets in place to track progress on diversity and inclusion. Almost 30% of boardrooms remain all white, and gender diversity on leadership is still below the FTSE 350 benchmark of 40%. Only 17% of retailers were able to identify one disabled leader within their organisation.

Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “I’m so encouraged to see so many retailers gearing up their D&I activity and the breadth it covers across all diversity characteristics, but the progress we’ve made so far hasn’t sufficiently shifted the dial. While the will is there, until every individual – no matter their background – feels they can reach their true potential in the workplace, we are failing. 

“It’s time to double down on assessing the impact of activities. We need to continually assess if what we’re doing is working, and if it’s not, what else can be done. Nonetheless, I am confident that we can deliver the change we aspire for, and I am excited to see the industry rise to the challenge.”

In addition, the BRC highlights that ethnic diversity board representation has improved by 10% since 2021, and 64% of businesses could identify at least one senior leader from the LGBTQ+ community, compared with 47% in 2022. 

The report also analyses where barriers lie in diversity and inclusion. Among the issues cited, there are lack of data, insufficient resources as well as the potential backlash from some employees. 

Elliott Goldstein, managing partner at The MBS Group, said: “I’m hugely encouraged to see that more and more retailers are prioritising diversity and inclusion. Almost all retailers, 93%, now have a coordinated D&I strategy in place. However, it is equally clear that there remains a long way to go until retail leadership properly reflects the customers it serves and despite the high level of inclusion activity, change is not happening fast enough. 

“Our advice is for retailers to take a step back and re-evaluate the impact of their D&I activity. Just as with any commercial objective, leaders need to know what is working, where investment is effective and tweak the plan accordingly. I’m confident that with deliberate and urgent action, we will see progress.”