that managers, sales associates, cashiers and even suppliers look like the customers they’re serving.
“Most retailers’ diversity programs are geared around the notion that their stores should reflect the communities where they do business,” says Daniel Butler, vice president of merchandising and retail operations
for the National Retail Federation (NRF), the industry trade association in Washington, D.C. “From a strategic point of view, a diversity program drives customer satisfaction.”
Since retailers service customers from all backgrounds, diversity-management strategies offer a competitive
advantage that directly boosts the bottom line. For example, after a major consumer-electronics retailer
