At Kurt Geiger we celebrate individuality, believing our differences make us more powerful as a collective.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of who we are, and we strive to reflect this in every corner of our company culture, starting with the promotion of equal opportunities.
We understand the importance of employing a workforce which reflects the diversity of our customers and believe this is vital to our success.
We strive to attract and retain diverse talent. We are pleased our brand values and company ethos attract many women to our business; at the time of writing, 60% and 69% of those who apply for head office and retail roles respectively are female.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is granted the opportunity to thrive as their authentic self.
Our CCO, who is female, heads up a predominately female team to deliver industry best design and product through a collaborative and all-inclusive environment. We are particularly proud of our Carvela brand which is designed by women for women. This all-female team lead the charge in developing product that is diverse, empowered and powerful.
Kurt Geiger, in partnership with Harrods and Selfridges, runs the shoe halls in both of these luxury powerhouses. Our Chief Merchant, who is also female, heads up these multi-million-pound businesses supported by a diverse and dynamic team.
Understanding the Data
According to the British Retail Consortium 2024 Diversity and inclusion report, the average retail work force is comprised of 57% women. Kurt Geiger is proud that 80% of our colleagues across retail and head office are female and 74% of managers across head office and retail are women.
We acknowledge the gender pay gap has increased by 6% since the previous year. However, like many other retailers, the gender pay gap data is significantly influenced by our workforce composition. At the end of the review period, 82% of our retail colleagues were female. Kurt Geiger employs fewer men and, when they are employed, they are likely to be based in head office where the average salary is higher. However, we are confident and strictly monitor the fact that men and women doing the same role are paid the same.
Head Office Pay Gap
We have analysed the GPG results in head office in detail, in the knowledge that this is where the majority of men in our business work and where we need to understand the data in greater detail.
The gap is explained by departments that men and women typically work in, with higher average salaries in the Warehouse, Dev and IT teams. On the whole, more men work in these departments than women. These departments are headed by male senior leaders, which is therefore reflected within our results. However, there is no doubt that women and men are paid equally for comparative roles.
We are already making great strides towards increasing the number of women in these departments and will continue to focus on increasing female senior leadership presence.
We know, and are confident that women and men are paid equally for comparative roles.
Closing the Gap
- • We will continue to create meaningful opportunities for women to fulfil their potential, through promotion opportunities and a modern and flexible working environment.
• We will continue to actively promote and retain senior women in the departments where gender balance is more challenging.
• We will continue to monitor and report on the number of women receiving promotions and bonuses.
• We will continue to ensure that pay and reward is monitored fairly.
• Our Business by Design programme, which is led by an all-female team, supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds wanting to work in the fashion industry. Students attend weekly training workshops before completing work experience across all head office departments. This year’s cohort are 78% female. We believe this grassroots programme will effect positive change in the years to come.
• We plan to introduce a training programme for all managers, highlighting the importance of promoting equal opportunities and having diverse teams. We will also relaunch our Diversity and Inclusion mandatory training to all colleagues.