All Diversity and inclusion articles
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News
Ocado delays diversity and inclusion targets as initiatives face scrutiny
Ocado has extended its timeline for increasing ethnic minority representation in its senior management team amid a rollback of DEI in the corporate world.
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News
The Perfume Shop reveals ‘significant step’ in closing gender pay gap
The Perfume Shop has released its latest gender pay gap report, revealing it has made significant steps to close the gap, Retail Week can reveal.
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Opinion
‘Backpedaling on diversity and inclusion would be a huge mistake’
As International Women’s Day is marked this week, commitment to diversity and inclusion is on the wane among some big-name businesses. But less diverse companies will ultimately be less successful, argues Retail Week editor-in-chief Charlotte Hardie
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Data
With controversy around DEI swirling, how gender-diverse are retail executive teams?
The FTSE Women Leaders Review provides a snapshot of female representation at the country’s leading retail businesses
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Innovation of the Week
Westfield has opened a sensory room to support neurodiverse customers
Westfield London has launched a permanent sensory room as part of a commitment to making the shopping centre more inclusive and accessible
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News
Card Factory has reappointed its chair despite diversity concerns
Card Factory has reappointed its executive chair despite votes cast against his reappointment due to diversity concerns.
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Retail Voice
We all have a duty to step up and protect our colleagues
With violence towards shopworkers continuing to rise, Retail Trust’s Chris Brook-Carter examines what can be done to stop the tirade of abuse.
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Future Leaders
Retail Week launches programme to drive greater diversity in legal roles
Retail Week’s General Counsel Summit 2022 sees the launch of the Future Leaders programme – in partnership with Be Inspired – to help support junior lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds to fulfil their career aspirations.
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Future Leaders
Celebrating neurodiversity: Why retailers should reassess the ‘normal’ workforce
To mark National Autism Awareness Month, Retail Week Be Inspired examines the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce and what can be done by leaders and their teams to become more inclusive of neurodiverse colleagues
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Opinion
Currys people chief: ‘Closing our HQ makes us fit for the era of omnichannel colleagues’
After unveiling plans to swap its West London HQ for flexible office space, Currys chief people, communications and sustainability officer Paula Coughlan explains the thinking behind the move and how it sets the electricals giant up for a post-pandemic future.
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Analysis
How 10 leading retailers and brands are breaking biases this IWD
This International Women’s Day (IWD) is a celebration of how to collectively #BreakTheBias. Retail and industry executives including Tesco, New Look, Sainsbury’s, The Body Shop, Fujitsu and Retail Trust reflect on the steps they are taking to challenge stereotypes and stamp out inequality.
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Future Leaders
How to avoid ‘pinkwashing’ to support LGBT+ colleagues and customers year-round
On the final day of LGBT+ History Month, Retail Week Be Inspired reflects on what retailers can do to not just limit their support to 28 days.
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Future Leaders
M&S, Kingfisher and Lidl back major retail I&D programme
Fifteen major retailers and brands have joined forces with Be Inspired, Retail Week’s six-year-old diversity initiative to promote inclusivity across the industry in 2022 and beyond.
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Interview
Be Inspired: Beaverbrooks’ Anna Blackburn on becoming the first outsider to lead the family-run retailer
The first female boss of jewellery retailer Beaverbrooks, Anna Blackburn talks to Retail Week about her journey up the ranks.
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Opinion
M&S’ Cleo Thompson: ‘Disability matters – let’s stop ignoring it’
It has been cited that there are more clothing lines available for dogs than there are clothes designed for disabled humans. As the world marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities, M&S group head of inclusion and diversity Cleo Thompson asks: “Haven’t we got our priorities wrong somewhere?”
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Future Leaders
‘Can I say that?’ How retailers can lean in to D&I conversations
The language retailers use can help to champion diversity and inclusion, but it can be daunting to know what to say and it requires terms and practices to be unlearned.
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Future Leaders
Bianca Miller Cole: ‘How to reframe challenge as opportunity’
Across industries, leaders are facing fresh challenges and are having to tackle new problems on a daily basis. Bianca Miller Cole, an award-winning entrepreneur, founder of personal branding company The Be Group and former Apprentice finalist, is no different. Ahead of her appearance at Diversity Futures - where she will discuss the future of female leadership - Cole has shared an extract from her new book The Business Survival Kit on building resilience.
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Opinion
‘What menopausal women need from employers – and it is not time off’
To mark World Menopause Day, Saska Graville, founder of MPowered Women and upcoming speaker at Retail Week’s Diversity Futures summit, explains why retailers must invest in menopause policies and awareness because to “brush it aside is bad business”.
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Future Leaders
Nine Black retail leaders whose stories you need to know this Black History Month
Kenyatte Nelson, Bozoma Saint John, Jessica Anuna - Retail Week Be Inspired champions the Black voices influencing change across the sector globally ahead of Diversity Futures on November 9
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Future Leaders
How to tackle the ageism problem plaguing retail workforces
In part two of our exploration of the ageism problem blighting UK business, Retail Week Be Inspired shares the practical steps and expert advice retail leaders and their teams can adopt to engage and empower older staff. Read part one here.