Retail boards in the UK are approaching gender parity, with women now holding almost half (47%) of board seats, according to the latest Diversity & Inclusion report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and The MBS Group.
This marks a significant rise from just 32% five years ago.
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Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, welcomed the progress, saying: “Retailers should celebrate the enormous efforts made to ensure more women have a seat at the executive table.”
However, she added a note of caution: “Progress can quickly fade. There is little point in having more diverse leadership if this does not translate into the lived experience of people within a business.”
Even split on gender, but broader inclusion lags
Five years of data tracking shows a clear trend toward gender equity at senior levels, with women now comprising nearly half of board, executive committee and senior leadership roles in retail.
This has been supported by internal development strategies, such as leadership pipelines, mentoring, and initiatives around menopause and wellbeing.
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By GlobalDataBut while gender diversity is improving, the picture for other groups is more mixed. The share of retail board members from ethnic minority backgrounds has declined from 12% to 8% in the past year.
At the same time, LGBTQ+ representation at senior levels has dropped to 58%, down from 67%, while disabled representation remains low at 15%.
Elliott Goldstein, managing partner at The MBS Group, said this contrast highlights the need for a broader inclusion push. “Although we have seen real progress since our research began in 2021, progress in moving the dial on ethnic diversity in leadership has been less encouraging.”
He added that, “To ensure lasting change, retailers must continue to put their heads above the parapet to drive forward initiatives… particularly with the backdrop of today’s geopolitical environment.”
Employee inclusion index highlights workplace inequality
The report’s Employee Inclusion Index, based on data from the Retail Trust’s Better You platform, shows that feelings of belonging remain low among many employees.
Those identifying as Black, African, Caribbean, disabled, or choosing not to disclose their gender consistently reported lower levels of inclusion.
This disconnect between leadership diversity and employee experience suggests that progress at the top is not yet reflected across the broader workplace. Dickinson warned: “All employees must feel a sense of belonging to be productive and power a business to a successful future.”
Role of D&I strategies and executive accountability
Almost 90% of UK retailers now have a formal diversity and inclusion strategy, although this is down slightly from 98% the previous year. The report attributes much of the sector’s progress to the BRC’s D&I Charter, launched in 2021, which now has nearly 90 signatories.
The Charter sets out commitments in six core areas, including CEO oversight, recruitment and accountability.
The report highlights the importance of leadership engagement, noting that CEO accountability remains a major driver of sustained cultural change within organisations.
Dickinson emphasised that future progress will depend on reflection and resilience. “The work on achieving true diversity and inclusion must not stop until we get where the industry needs to be,” she said.
What it means for UK retail
The data confirms that UK retail is making significant progress towards gender parity in its leadership, with women now occupying 47% of board seats and around 44% of executive roles.
However, this improvement is not being matched in terms of ethnic, disability or LGBTQ+ representation—and even less so in workplace culture and inclusion.
As attention shifts from representation to experience, the challenge ahead lies in closing the gap between who sits at the table and how inclusive the business feels to everyone else.
Stronger accountability, broader outreach, and sustained leadership buy-in will be key if retailers are to maintain momentum—and ensure that boardroom diversity leads to real equity across the sector.
