Women leading the way? Something that we all like to hear and at the forefront of one of the biggest global industries? Wonderful news. 2023, is the year women are doing it for themselves.
Breaking away from gender norms is a refreshing new era for retail. 2022 was a wonderful snapshot as the outtake to the verse of the pandemic has come to a close and as we move towards a normal world again, where routines and travel opportunities have resumed. Women have used this time to take the opportunity for promotions and for creating new business ventures. These are fundamental in the change and business shift with women at the top of the ladder.
In 2022, alone we saw 13 female hires to the highest roles within UK retailers in 2022. Give or take 31% of any 42 changes made throughout the year. Although this may still seem low, it is rising year on year ; industry professionals are quoting it as a ‘positive step forward’. With brands such as New Look, Pets at Home, Greggs and the Co-op have all seen their workforce shift, it's fabulous to see more female led organisations!
ASDA have even thrown their hat in the ring of conversation by choosing to push their quotas towards this, aiming to raise their percentage of female general store managers to 30%. by 2025.
We are seeing the retail industry making changes across a range of verticals, from pets, food, skincare, fashion and more. It has been noted that boards of directors are recognising that their CEO needs to be more reflective of their customer base. So by implementing this process we can see positive outcomes for companies alike.
Although it is still noted that in the UK - 96% of large public companies are still made up by men, leaving women at the low 4% of the majority. This puts the figure at 1 in 25 of CEOs to be women, the question we are all still asking ourselves is why? More than 140,000 companies have been established by all female teams within the past year and the figure is continuing to rise by a third per annual year with start-ups landing within the 18-25 demographic. It is really interesting to uncover, why these teams are preferring 18-25 demographics over others. With 99% of these women, agreeing with gender equality. This is why targeting such ages, are preferential when beginning a new business. The latest figures given stated that there was more than double the figure recorded in 2018 a year before NatWest chief executive be appointed to lead an independent review of female entrepreneurship.
There are poignant shifts being made throughout the retail industry. Although the ratio is still too low, it is slowly increasing and change is happening. 2023 is the year of Female CEOs leading the way. The Guardian recently noticed the positive outlook for women to have their say on industry boards at a record high of over 40% compared to recent years.
We are excited to see the ever changing world of women and the world of retail and how women are inspiring others alike to do the same. Because we all have to begin somewhere. For us we feel , why not start today and get your seat at the table?
Retail PR