Stacey Copeland speaks at Studio Retail’s Diversity and Inclusion seminar

By Scott Dawson Advertising

28 Nov 2019

img_3479.jpg

“Talent is universally distributed but opportunities are not” Stacey Copeland (footballer, boxer,  broadcaster and equality champion) told employees during Studio Retail’s Diversity and Inclusion seminar 

Recently nominated as Best Value Retailer of the Year in the Retail Week Awards 2020, Studio.co.uk boasts a turnover of £400m a year and has emerged a significant competitior in the UK value retail market.  

With a workforce of over 1,400 individuals, the company works hard to maintain an inclusive workplace culture and ethos where every colleague’s talents are embraced and potential is fully supported.  

Addressing senior leaders, Stacey explained the responsibility of businesses and individuals to address diversity and inclusion. Copeland made history, being the first ever British Female boxer to win the commonwealth title after overcoming barriers and steryotyping throughout her life. 

“Companies sometimes get it quite wrong, they want to tick the boxes instead of thinking about the human experience” said Stacey, “It is really fantastic that Studio.co.uk are leading the way, thinking about the individuals within their business and encouraging a truly diverse and inclusive environment.  

It was a pleasure to be invited to talk about my own experiences, how I’ve overcome barriers to equality and highlight how individuals can be more thoughtful with their language. I hope going forward if people do encounter injustice, they now have the confidence to take action and challenge that issue.”  

Stacey Copeland encouraged attendees to share times they have felt excluded or alienated and be open about the cumulative impact that lack of inclusion can have on an individual.

“Stacey has encouraged us all to stop and reflect about unconscious bias this afternoon” said Sharon Benson, HR director at Studio, “She has shown us that when you take responsibility for driving change and take barriers away,  people are capable of incredible things.”

Sharon highlighted how UK statistics show workplaces are not inclusive and diverse, despite their best intentions. 

“Stats show that 93%* of women aged 28-40 who have a caring responsibility feel it is difficult to combine their responsibilities with a successful career. We work to remove barriers and create an understanding environment that opens up opportunity and inclusion for all, whatever their background and situation.”* 

Studio are paving the way for other businesses with their existing inclusion strategy, with a negligible pay gap between males and females (-0.1%), and a workforce consisting of significantly more (+8.5%) non-UK nationals than the industry average.

Studio used the session to further develop their diversity and inclusion strategy, which includes investing in data utilisation and AI to streamline their recruitment process.

“Being aware that we may be unconsciously biased as individuals is the first step. Through harnessing technology we can eliminate this. Another thing we will be doing is stepping back and identifying if our adverts and recruitment process have any age or gender bias. This could alienate prospective applicants for example. I strongly encourage all other businesses to do the same.

Sharon continued: “There is a strong business case for inclusion, with diverse companies reporting 19% higher revenue, businesses with an inclusive culture outperform industry norms by 35% and are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market.”**

Managing director, Paul Kendrick explained: “Having an inclusive culture fully supports our growth plan and helps us to increase employee retention and embrace differences in the workplace so all individuals have the opportunity to thrive.”

For more information about Studio visit: www.studio.co.uk

*Source:www.hrtechweekly.com

**Source: www2.deloitte.com/uk/en.html

Latest news

1

College restaurant honoured with top culinary award from prestigious chefs’ guild Karen Lilley Front Of House Lecturer David McKown David Lyon Scholars Manager And Blackburn College Principal Dr Fazal Dad

College restaurant honoured with top culinary award from prestigious chefs’ guild

10 Jun 2025

2

Cosmetic manufacturer lets new unit on Frontier Park, Burnley Badgequo have agreed to let the site on Frontier Park

Cosmetic manufacturer lets new unit on Frontier Park, Burnley

10 Jun 2025

3

SQ Digital celebrates 25 years and enters new era with CEO appointment Kamal Essa

SQ Digital celebrates 25 years and enters new era with CEO appointment

09 Jun 2025

4

New chair appointed to Atlas BFW Management Graham Cowley

New chair appointed to Atlas BFW Management

09 Jun 2025

5

Napthens makes key appointments to further growth strategy of newly appointed managing director Napthens appointments Jayna Mistry, Onyeka-Obedi and Rebecca Rhodes

Napthens makes key appointments to further growth strategy of newly appointed managing director

09 Jun 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking
Sub36 Social1200pxandi Lewis
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

Mytton Fold Hotel , Blackburn , BB6 8AB

09:30 - 11:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

LBV123 July/August Launch Event
Lancashire Business View magazine launch
Networking
16 Jul 2025

LBV123 July/August Launch Event

Burnley College Industry Hub, Burnley, BB120AN

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
12 Jun 2025 - 12 Jun 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up
LBV Hub Networking
12 Jun 2025 - 12 Jun 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Midnight Oil: The Entrepreneur’s Journey: Scaling Strategies with Brad Waldron
BU-June-Event-BRAD-1.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
18 Jun 2025 - 18 Jun 2025

Midnight Oil: The Entrepreneur’s Journey: Scaling Strategies with Brad Waldron

Blackpool Football Club, Bloomfield Rd, Seasiders Way, Blackpool, FY1 6JJ

08:30 - 11:30

Chamber Business Lunch – June
Chamber Logo1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
20 Jun 2025 - 20 Jun 2025

Chamber Business Lunch – June

Lancaster House Hotel, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4GL

11:00 - 13:30

90 day Business Planning Workshop
LBV Event Header.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
20 Jun 2025 - 20 Jun 2025

90 day Business Planning Workshop

Bolton Arena, Arena Approach, Horwich, BL6 6LB

09:00 - 16:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin