Ocado has pushed back its diversity targets for ethnic minority representation in senior management, extending its goal from 2027 to 2030 amid growing pressure on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives worldwide.

The London-listed technology company, which jointly owns online grocer Ocado Retail with M&S, has delayed its target of having 10 per cent of senior management roles filled by people from ethnic minorities, according to reporting from The Telegraph. Currently, this figure stands at 5.6 per cent, up from 4.5 per cent the previous year.

The decision comes as companies globally reconsider their diversity programmes following actions by US President Donald Trump, who has banned DEI programmes at federal agencies and ended government contracts with companies maintaining such policies.

A spokesman for Ocado insisted the company remains committed to diversity initiatives, stating: "It does not reflect any change in our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we are making good progress across our other goals in these areas which extend across the business and our pipeline of talent."

The company attributed the delay to its "strong rate of retention among senior managers," making it unlikely to achieve the 10 per cent target before 2030.

"We strongly believe that diversity is a key driver of innovation and these targets are important for us to maintain our position as one of the UK's most innovative technology businesses," the spokesman added.

Ocado has been expanding its presence in the US through a partnership with supermarket chain Kroger, supplying technology for robotic delivery warehouses, potentially increasing its exposure to America's changing corporate landscape.

The shift follows a broader trend of companies scaling back diversity initiatives, including Meta, Amazon and Walmart. British firms like GSK, BT and Haleon have also modified their approaches, with Haleon recently removing diversity targets from its executive bonus scheme.

The changes at Ocado come amid financial challenges for the technology company, which reported a pre-tax loss of £375 million for its latest financial year, slightly improved from a £393.6 million loss the previous year. The company has announced further job cuts as part of cost-reduction efforts, though it indicated these would be "significantly" fewer than the 1,000 positions eliminated last year.

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