We’re also ensuring that inclusivity is embedded into the way we do business, from the ranges we sell and how we market them to how we present our stores. And we want to do our bit to help others. M&S is a part of hundreds of communities across the country, so we’re supporting community inclusion causes that we know our colleagues and customers care about the most.
Being part of the family
We know that to be the best business we can be, we need to recruit, retain, and develop diverse talent. To help us do this, we’ve had targets for ethnic minorities and women in management for some time. We’re firmly committed to our target of having 50% women and 15% ethnic minority colleague representation in our senior management by 2022.
We also became the first national retailer to support the 10,000 Black Interns initiative, which seeks to address the under-representation of Black talent. One fifth of our next graduate intake from September 2021 are from an ethnic minority background – the highest figure we’ve achieved.
To help our colleagues feel part of the family once they arrive at M&S, we have a number of internal networks. These include LGBTQ+, Culture & Heritage and Family & Carers. Our networks have regular dialogue with our leadership, provide peer support for colleagues and help support the business on product development.
We’ve introduced an inclusion training programme for all colleagues across our business and developed a reverse mentoring programme for Black store colleagues and senior leaders.
Helping our customers
Inclusivity isn’t just about our colleagues – it is also about making M&S a welcoming and enjoyable place to shop for everyone. In 2019, we became the first national retailer to introduce Sunflower Lanyards to all of our stores to help people with hidden disabilities shop with confidence.
We were also the first retailer to publish AccessAble guides for every store, which provide detailed information on accessibility for people with disabilities and their carers. Listing everything from lighting levels to the number of accessible car parking spaces, these guide are easily available for customers to view on the M&S.com Store Locator.
Making our products inclusive is also key. We’re making sure our marketing is more inclusive and using a more diverse model mix, including people of different races, ethnicities, shapes, sizes, and disabilities. We’re also constantly reviewing our product offer to make sure we’re more relevant, more often for all customers, such as having a specific offer for Ramadan and Shavout, and helping customers celebrate by marking these events in our stores and on our social media.
Being a good neighbour
Our shops mean we are part of hundreds of communities across the UK – and the world. We want to support the community causes that matter most to our customers and spark change together. Our commitment to donate to member-selected charities has been one of our digital-first loyalty scheme Sparks most popular features. Lat year, we added 25 new charity partners to Sparks, taking our total number of partners to 35. These include akt, The Black Curriculum and Blueprint For All Trust. Together with our customers, we’ve raised over £9 million for charity since October 2015.
We want to make a difference during the moments that matter, so for Pride Month 2021 we will be doubling all donations to akt, which supports LGBTQ+ young people who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment. Our donations have helped AKT expanded its digital capabilities to help meet a surged in demand from young people during the pandemic.
A lot more to come
We're taking action, but we know we still have a lot more to do.
We have many initiatives in the pipeline and we’ll keep updating on our progress as we find new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic.