Ocado has stepped forward with its ‘Buy Women Built’ initiative, advancing female entrepreneurship.
- This move involves over 1,000 products from brands founded by women, now featured on Ocado’s platform.
- Prominent brands like Little Moons and Pip & Nut join new startups, promoting diversity and innovation.
- Sahar Hashemi, the driving force, advocates for increased visibility and support for women in business.
- This initiative aligns with prior campaigns encouraging consumers to support local and British products.
Ocado, in a progressive move, has unveiled its ‘Buy Women Built’ section, aiming to showcase products exclusively from female-founded businesses. This initiative is designed to bolster sales and visibility for firms led by women, a demographic underrepresented in entrepreneurship.
The initiative features over 1,000 products available on Ocado’s digital platforms, including renowned brands such as Little Moons ice cream and Pip & Nut peanut butter. In addition, it introduces less-known startups like All Dressed Up sauces, broadening the spectrum of offerings and supporting diversity in the marketplace.
Spearheaded by Coffee Republic founder Sahar Hashemi, the initiative encourages retail support for female entrepreneurs. Hashemi highlights that female entrepreneurship in the UK trails by 30% compared to other developed nations, citing confidence as a significant barrier. She emphasises the need for representation, stating, “Showing people that so many brands are in fact created by women leads more female entrepreneurs to think, ‘We can do this.’
Hannah Gibson, Ocado Retail’s chief executive, affirmed the company’s commitment to supporting female entrepreneurs, acknowledging the disparity in representation and expressing a desire to foster community support.
The ‘Buy Women Built’ campaign follows in the footsteps of previous consumer initiatives like ‘Buy British,’ which sought to enhance the visibility of British-grown products among shoppers.
Ocado’s new initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing the visibility and success of female entrepreneurs in the UK marketplace.
