Diverse representation
We are committed to achieving diverse representation in leadership positions by 2028.
Inclusion
81 per cent of colleagues will tell us they are able to be themselves at work through our colleague engagement survey.
Our ambition
Our progress so far
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| Baseline | Performance | Target | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2028/29 | |
| Senior leadership and management positions held by women (%) | 42.4% | N/A | 42.4% | 41.5% | 50% |
| Senior leadership and management positions held by ethnically diverse people (%) | 11.3% | N/A | 11.3% | 11.7% | 15% |
For further information on our performance, please visit our Reports & Policies page for our Plan for Better report or read our full sustainability results in our Plan for Better Databook or read our full Gender and Ethnicity Pay Report.
Our progress timeline
At Sainsbury’s, we started our DE&I journey over 10 years ago and are pleased that we have made some great progress in this space.
2013
Launched our network of D&I Champions who support our inclusion message across all areas of our business
2014
Launched our ambition to be ‘the most inclusive retailer’ establishing Proud@Sainsburys
2015
Launched our female mentoring programme which involved 1,400 women across our whole organisation
2016
Held our first ‘Inclusion Week’ launching the ‘Embrace the Difference’ branding which is still widely represented today
2017
Launched colleague network ‘I AM ME’ for colleagues and allies of those who are ethnically diverse
2018
Launched our third colleague network ‘EnAble’, to support carers and disabled colleagues
2019
Joined the Financial Times list as one of Europe’s most inclusive retailers
2020
Launched ‘Inspire’ (gender) and ‘We Care’ (carers) networks
2021
Launched our mandatory inclusion training to line managers
2022
3rd place in the FTSE 100 Women Leaders review, 27th globally as most female friendly business and 2nd in the UK
2023
Took steps to change the way we review our sponsorship at Board level and relaunched our Diversity, equity and inclusion strategy with a focus on personal responsibility for inclusion, and driving equity through the work we do
2024
Became the only retailer to be accredited as a Carer Confident: Accomplished employer
2025
We renewed our targets to increasing gender and ethnic diversity at the senior levels of the organisation with a set of new representation targets for 2024 -2028
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Our strategy focuses on 4 key areas:
- Personal responsibility – we want all of our colleagues to take ownership and actively contribute to an inclusive and welcoming environment for all
- Leadership accountability – we want our leaders to actively promote and support inclusive practices and policies within our business
- Levelling the playing field – we want to remove barriers and systemic biases that may disadvantage certain individuals or groups and providing our colleagues a fair chance to succeed
- Moving the dial for our customers – we want to continue to actively transform our shops and the products we sell to be inclusive, accessible, culturally sensitive and gender inclusive for all of our customers
Our colleagues are at the heart of what we do. Over the last year, we have continued to focus on creating an inclusive, equitable environment that supports colleagues to thrive and feel a sense of belonging.
In the last 12 months, we have:
- Launched brand new Inclusion e-learning modules across the organisation for both colleagues and managers, strengthening inclusive capability at every level
- Introduced ‘I’m Deaf’ collateral in stores, helping colleagues who are hard of hearing to clearly and confidently communicate with customers
- Implemented new Moments that Matter resources to support managers in making more inclusive and equitable decisions during key points in the colleague lifecycle, including talent reviews
- Enhanced our DEI and Wellbeing dashboard, providing senior leaders and people partners with clearer insight and actionable data to support progress towards our diversity representation targets
- Maintained our Leading Edge position in the Diversity in Retail maturity curve and improved our score in the Diversity in Grocery maturity model to 7.5, above the industry average
- Launched the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme across recruitment as part of our commitment as a Disability Confident Leader, supporting fairer access to opportunities for disabled candidates
- Continued to recognise and celebrate the moments that matter to colleagues through awareness and engagement activities across the year, including Race Equality Week, International Women’s Day, Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Pride and Carers Week
- Celebrated external recognition of talent, with two colleagues named in the 2025 Women to Watch Index for Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail.
We continue to work hard to make our stores and online shopping more inclusive for our customers and in the last 12 months we have:
- Instore we have changed our period signage from Feminine Care to Period Care to be inclusive to all customers who may require the products.
- Joining GEN M (a collective who are committed to making menopause support more visible for all) and launching the M-Tick shelf labels to make it easier for shoppers to identify menopause-friendly products on offer in our stores and online
- While introducing electric charging bays on our store estate we have included larger electric charging bays for our disabled customers.
- In 2022 we made a £1 million investment in supporting Black-founded brands via a 16-week incubator scheme and we are thrilled that in 2023 three of those brands were introduced into our stores including, Mirror Margarita, Raise Snack, and Riddles Ice
We have expanded the option of having an Mx prefix for all customers who have an online account with us.
We’re committed to being an inclusive retailer where people love to work and shop. We welcome the opportunity to report on our gender pay gap and voluntarily publish our ethnicity pay report, along with our company values, people policies and diversity and inclusion initiatives, which demonstrate our progress and commitment to gender and ethnic equality.
For more information on the progress we have made, click the links to take you to our Gender Pay Reports.
External Partnerships
We have a long history of building strong partnerships and delivering great impact in our communities, locally and internationally and part of that is down to our commitment to supporting charities.
Sainsbury's is also a member of a number of external strategic partners who are committed to supporting organisations in removing barriers for colleagues and creating a truly inclusive workplace, including Business Disability Forum, Business in the Community, Carers UK, Diversity in Grocery, Diversity in Retail and Stonewall.
We have featured in numerous case studies, research reports and top employer lists and continue to support as well as be supported by these partnerships.
Our Employee Networks
EnAble at Sainsbury's
The EnAble network was established in 2020 for colleagues with disabilities, long-term health conditions and their allies. The network now has over 2100 members. The EnAble network is sponsored by Blathnaid Bergin, Chief Financial Officer.
Over the last year the network have marked a number of important events including, Neurodiversity Celebration Week, International Day of People with Disabilities, World Autism Acceptance Week, Spinal Cord Injury Day, and World MS Day to name a few. The network has also continued to amplify the voice of our colleagues and have supported the business in undertaking a review of how we support our disabled colleagues.
I AM ME
The I AM ME network has been established since 2017 for ethnically diverse colleagues and their allies. It has now grown to have over 3400 members. The I AM ME network is sponsored by Graham Biggart, Managing Director, Argos.
In 2025, the network have continued to mark a number of important events including, Black History Month, South Asian Heritage Month, Race Equality Week, Windrush Day and World Sickle Cell Day to name a few.
The I AM ME network is dedicated to supporting, connecting, and empowering ethnically diverse colleagues, whilst positively contributing to the business and fostering greater representation, career progression, and a sense of belonging.
Inspire
The Inspire network was established in 2020 for colleagues of all genders and their allies. The network has grown to over 2300 members. The Inspire network is sponsored by Rhian Bartlett, Chief Commercial and Sustainability Officer.
In 2025 the network have continued to mark a number of important events including, International Men’s Day, International Women’s Day, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and World Menopause Day to name a few.
The network also has dedicated communities for parents supporting parents, colleagues affected directly or indirectly by the menopause, and for colleagues throughout their fertility journey.
Proud@Sainsbury's
The Proud@Sainsbury’s network has been established since 2014 for all LGBT+ colleagues and their allies. The network has now acquired more than 3000 members. The Proud@Sainsbury’s network is sponsored Mark Given, Chief Technology, Marketing and Data Officer.
In 2025, the network have continued to mark a number of events including, Bisexual Awareness Day, LGBT History Month, Non-Binary Awareness Week, Pride Month, and Trans Awareness Week to name a few. During Pride Month members of the networks took part in 35 Pride marches across the UK.
The network has also continued to agitate the business to make positive change, and this year played an instrumental role in the introduction of paid leave for colleagues undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
For all the continued work that the network do, in 2025 they were nominated for the Rainbow Honours Outstanding LGBTQIA Network of the Year and highly commended for the European Diversity Awards Outstanding LGBTQIA+ Network of the Year.
We Care
The We Care network was established in 2020 for colleagues with caring responsibilities and their allies. Since 2020 the network has grown to have more than 1600 members. The We Care network is sponsored by Claire Pickthall, Retail, Omnichannel and Logistics Transformation Director.
Over the last year the network have continued to mark a number of events, including Carers Rights Day, Carers Week, and Young Carers Rights Day to name a few.
The network have also supported the business in launching a carers passport; a simple tool that supports our carer colleagues to have an honest conversation with their line manager and document any support or flexibility agreed to help combine work and care.
