The grocery sector has chalked up a record-breaking number of diversity and inclusion achievements in the past year, as retailers and suppliers continue to work together to drive real change.
GroceryAid’s D&I in Grocery programme revealed the industry’s significant progress in its 2024 Impact Report earlier this week.
According to the report, over 100 partners engaged with the programme in 2024 – an increase of 386% on 2020. As a result of this increased uptake, new connections being made by retailers and suppliers increased by 50%, helping businesses learn from each other and accelerate their own D&I plans.
Improvements were also seen across the D&I in Grocery Maturity Model, which launched last year to measure year-on-year progress within the industry. It revealed that average company benchmark scores rose to 4.8 from 4.4 in 2024, with a 9% boost in participation. More than eight out of 10 partners also improved their benchmark score against the previous year.
The release of the impact report and Maturity Model results comes as Richard Stratton, Tesco’s group sourcing and commodities director, is appointed as new strategy steering group chair, working alongside Caroline Cater, VP of people and culture at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, who has taken on the position of deputy chair.
“It’s increasingly important for our industry to come together to drive collective change for D&I within our industry,” Stratton said. “We are making good progress and with the Maturity Model we will be able to see exactly how far we have come year by year.”
Outgoing chair Simon Smith, Kellanova’s operations director, said the group was “incredibly proud of the programme’s achievements in 2024, all of which have been delivered to an exceptional standard”.
“The second year of our Maturity Model results have allowed us to measure and track D&I data; the improvement of which will be key in driving progress and ensuring we are moving in the right direction.”
D&I in Grocery LIVE!
The programme also raised a record-breaking £1m-plus for GroceryAid last year, thanks in part to events such as GroceryAid’s D&I in Grocery LIVE!.
Hosted this year by award-winning journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern, the event unites the sector through sharing, learning and driving change, with over 1,300 colleagues coming together to accelerate a truly diverse and inclusive industry.
Award-winning presenter, journalist and disability activist Lucy Edwards will join McGovern on stage as the keynote speaker, focusing on the commercial value D&I can bring organisations alongside its role in shaping culture.
Felicity Bexton, Tesco category buying manager and chair of the D&I in Grocery LIVE! steering group, said: “Steph and Lucy are both passionate and dedicated to diversity and inclusion and will be invaluable additions to this year’s event – we are absolutely delighted that they will join us to inspire the industry further by bringing their own perspective and experiences to the day.
“Our recently launched D&I in Grocery 2024 impact report and 2025 Maturity Model results have shown the great progress our industry is making, and yet never has it been more important to work together to ensure we stay on the right path. This event is a fantastic opportunity to bring everyone together to drive real change within the industry.”
D&I in Grocery LIVE! takes place on 26 September 2025 at the InterContinental London – The O2.
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