The UK’s Co-op Group is aiming to boost opportunities for women working behind the scenes to deliver goods and services.
Logistics staff – from lorry drivers to warehouse employees, senior managers and specialists – work on keeping the Group’s stores supplied. Traditionally, this backstage role has been seen as a male preserve, requiring physical strength and an ability to withstand freezing warehouse temperatures, with men still making up the vast majority of the Group’s workforce in depots across the country.
But times are changing as the retail industry becomes ever more determined to bridge the gender gap.
Organisations like Women in Logistics UK, launched in 2008, have been working to promote gender diversity and inclusion and providing mentorship and training opportunities for women in the industry. Developments in AI and other computer technology have also brought skills like problem-solving and collaboration to the fore.
Now the Group has launched its own Women in Leadership Programme in Logistics to develop and progress female talent.
The project, which currently has a cohort of 17 women from across the country, is being led by Clare Wilson, the organisation’s head of logistics, change and optimisation since 2015.
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Wilson has spent all her working life in the retail sector, starting out when she was 15 at the checkout. Now she is keen to see more women taking on leadership roles at the Group’s 11 depots across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The workforce carries out a wide variety of roles, from senior management and supply specialists to teams of warehouse operatives checking goods, putting stock away and loading vehicles for the team of HGV drivers. The end result is the delivery of products to the Group’s national network of 2,400 stores, as well as many other co-op societies and franchises across the UK.
However, there is still a significant gender imbalance: industry reports suggest only 26% of the transport workforce is made up of women.
“We may be a little higher than the average in terms of general operatives,” says Wilson, “but there is a real gap in leadership roles; we only have one female depot manager and it’s still an industry which is seen as male-dominated.”
It has also not always been seen as a sector where women can be successful. “Many years ago I was the first female to manage a depot for Tesco and it felt like a lonely place,” she adds. “I had to be better than the others to justify my job. However, things are improving.”
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Wilson believes there is a lot more opportunity out there for women, and the Group is “really determined to identify and nurture talent and get the message across that you can be a female and have a good career within logistics.
“It is critical that we have the best people in roles where they feel fulfilled and engaged. The programme forms part of our focus on diversity and inclusivity, and our work to remove barriers and support development.”
The Women in Leadership programme, which kicked off in January with a launch event at
Co-op’s Castlewood depot, aims to provide a launchpad for women interested in taking their first steps into logistics leadership and management – as well as for established supervisors or managers looking to progress.
The level 3 apprenticeship programme has been developed in tandem with Merseyside-based Learning and Development company Raise the Bar, which will be overseeing the 17-month project.
Equivalent to an A level, it involves six hours of training a week, using a wide range
of learning resources including virtual workshops, webinars and podcasts. Every participant also has a coach to further develop workplace skills and behaviours. It is split into three core areas – self-insight; team evolution; and transformative leadership – all aiming to build on existing skills.
“This is a pilot targeted specifically to women already working within logistics,” says Wilson. “Most are already team managers within depots or work in the support centre for logistics. The programme we are putting together started a couple of weeks ago and we know there are real challenges that many women have to deal with in terms of breaking gender stereotyping.
“Some suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’ or lack confidence. This programme is tailored to fully harness their potential. We want to re-train and grow their talent, empowering women and giving them the skills they need to lead a team and feel comfortable and confident they have a real contribution to make.”
Problem-solving is another key part of the course with teams of four looking at issues like staff recruitment, retention and engagement. The response, says Wilson, has been impressive. “We advertised the programme last September and had lots of applications. Of the 42 that applied, we initially offered 15 places then got it up to 17 who were interviewed in January a week before the programme started. Each woman has got a dedicated mentor and as well as the online sessions are going to get them all together in person every 12 weeks.”
The course is scheduled to finish in June 2026 with plans for a graduation-style ceremony for the first intake – and it is hoped more will be rolled out in the future to extend empowerment opportunities for women even further.
“We have some real talent we can nurture and develop,” says Wilson, “so that women feel confident enough to progress their career as opportunities arise to pursue their full potential and achieve real personal growth.”
The next part, she adds, is looking at how to find an apprenticeship offer with no set criteria or entry-level consideration and whether it should be open right across the organisation so as many as possible can benefit.
“The statistics tell us there are not a lot of female leaders and that the richness and the different thinking that women would bring to the table is missing for us, so this is a real opportunity to support female colleagues who want to progress and find that role to develop within Co-op.”
