Background

Alongside this, Asda has increased its market share from 9% to 17.4% and actively contributes to communities in which it operates, investing in job creation and training, and is committed to long-term sustainable retailing.

What Asda did

With so many unique colleagues across the province, Asda recognises this as a key attribute to its success over the past 12 years of operation. Asda’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy is a key element of its business model, is built into the retailers core values, and is supplemented by five-pillar framework encompassing; gender, ethnicity, age, disability, and sexual orientation. The leadership team fully engage and support dedicated colleague working groups who drive activity forward under each diversity strand.

Diversity and Inclusion at Asda is two-fold and activities have been focussed on both the customer and colleague. Asda also promotes it values with its supply chain and contractors through its tendering and training processes. The supermarket chain has engaged in a number of activities to empower its employees to champion equality and diversity from store level up. From a ‘straight mates’ initiatives with employees wearing rainbow lanyards and pin champions to investing in specially adapted trolleys for children with disabilities, to supporting mental health charities and progressing a ‘quiet shopping hour’ with Autism NI.

Impact

• 68% of employees have declared their sexual orientation
• NI sales grew by 4.5% – the best performing region in the UK
• £500 donated to Action Mental Health
• Only retailer listed in UK Top Employers List
• Stonewall Top 100 employer for LGBT-friendly employers

For more information, email Joe McDonald.