Wickes is set to undertake a company-wide anti-racism survey among its 8,000 employees.

In partnership with racial equity company Flair Impact, the anonymous survey will be rolled out to the home improvement retailer’s 230 stores, support and distribution centres in September.

Wickes will reportedly be the first retailer to undertakes Flair Impact’s survey, which it said helps organisations to measure and build racially equitable cultures and provide leaders with the tools and metrics to regularly track areas including racist behaviours; attitudes; levels of racial awareness; inclusion barriers; performance; pay; and recruitment.

Wickes chief executive David Wood said the company wants everyone to “feel at home” and that it is passionate about creating an inclusive and diverse workplace.

"We’re excited to be working with Flair Impact to hear directly from our colleagues about their attitudes and experiences of race in the workplace and to use this insight to focus on what we need to do to improve the retention, progression and inclusion of our colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds,” he said.

On the back of a three per cent like-for-like sales increase in its second quarter, Wickes recently announced plans for a £25 million share buyback scheme.

Wood said the scheme to return excess funds to shareholders would commence “as soon as practicably possible”.

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