Hudson’s Bay takes diversity pledge

Canada’s oldest retailer has pledged that at least 15 per cent of all new brands purchased, beginning with the fall/winter 2021 season, will be owned by Black or Indigenous people or people of colour (BIPOC).

The retailer is the first Canadian department store, and the second Canadian company, to join the 15 Percent Pledge, a non-profit organization calling on major retailers to make sure at least 15 per cent of their products are BIPOC-owned or designed.

Iain Nairn, president and CEO of Hudson’s Bay, said taking the pledge is only one of the commitments the retailer is making to improving the diversity of its offerings and better supporting brands owned and designed by people of colour.

Hudson’s Bay will work with the organization to determine what percentage the company is already at with the brands it has, as well as to determine what counts as a “BIPOC brand,” said Nairn, and move forward from there to meet the pledge.

The company has set up a merchant council, he added, which will assess where Hudson’s Bay stands and seek out emerging brands. Nairn acknowledged that the company’s pledge is in the context of its historical role in the colonization of Indigenous people in the land that eventually became Canada.

The company is here “because of the Royal Charter (of 1670), and that began with the appropriation of unceded Indigenous territory by the British Crown,” he said.

“I think we have a responsibility to acknowledge the past, but really look ahead and take meaningful action and drive progress to create a more equitable future.”

Hudson’s Bay is also going to review its internal organization to make sure that by 2022, at least 15 per cent of its own design talent are BIPOC, according to the company’s press release. The retailer also promises to support “the onboarding, growth and success of emerging BIPOC brands.”

Companies that have already joined the pledge include Sephora, Indigo, Gap Inc., J. Crew, Yelp and Vogue U.S.

The 15 Percent Pledge organization was founded in 2020 by Aurora James. Around the time that George Floyd was murdered, James said she was seeing messages from large retailers about racial justice that didn’t ring true to her. At the same time, she realized that there was real consumer appetite for concrete steps by companies, not just words.

“I asked myself … what kind of commitment would make me feel like they were true allies?” James said. The 15 per cent threshold came from the approximate percentage of Black people in the U.S, she added.

The organization was born shortly after, and quickly signed up several large retailers, said James. With Hudson’s Bay, they now have 22 major retailers that have taken their pledge.

But taking the pledge is just the beginning. The organization works with the companies to analyze where they are regarding this goal, and support them in making permanent changes, said James.

“There’s a lot of work to do,” said James. “This is going to take years, and it should take years … it needs to be a lifestyle change and not just a crash diet.”

Though the 15 Percent Pledge was founded with Black racial justice in mind, when it came to Canadian companies James knew that the pledge would need to also highlight Indigenous racial justice. That’s why Hudson Bay is pledging to buy from not just Black-owned brands, but also brands owned and designed by Indigenous people, and other people of colour.

“There is no pledge that is going to take away … the horrendous atrocities that have happened across Canada,” said James. “But there are things that we can do to try to start that path of healing.”

James hopes the pledge is a stepping stone that will make businesses more aware of all groups of people. “It’s really about economic equality and justice for all people,” she said.

In addition to supporting brands by buying and selling their products, Nairn said Hudson’s Bay is working on other programs that will further support the growth of BIPOCowned companies.

Hudson’s Bay already carries several BIPOC-owned brands in fashion, beauty and home, including Matt & Nat, Lavender Clouds & Poetry, and Ayesha Curry.

Nairn said he hopes Hudson’s Bay’s pledge encourages other large Canadian retailers to do the same.