people
diversity & inclusion
At Carter’s, we are committed to attracting and retaining multicultural consumers and building a workforce that supports these efforts. Projections show that by 2040 our consumer base will become increasingly diverse, and we recognize the need to build authentic connections that will drive future growth.
We seek to attract and retain the best people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas, and approaches to support these efforts and promote this view with our employees, consumers, and companies with whom we do business. We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment that inspires innovation and allows us to gain creative and strategic advantages to facilitate our continued growth. Carter’s does not tolerate any form of discrimination and the prohibition against discrimination extends to our consumers and business partners.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Framework
Marketplace
Attract and Welcome All Customers
Workplace
Enhance Our Inclusive Culture
Community
Enhance Opportunity in Our Communities
Increase our African American and Hispanic consumers 10% by 2025 from a 2022 baseline
Attract and retain top talent to achieve business goals
Continue to grow our Supplier Diversity program
3%
Goal
Increase our African American and Hispanic consumers by 10%
2024 PROGRESS
Increased customer penetration with African American and Hispanic consumers by 3%
Marketplace Diversity
We leverage consumer insights to inform our product, marketing, and customer experience strategies. Our goal to achieve a 10% increase in our African American and Hispanic customer base by 2025 is supported by these insights.
In 2024, we conducted a comprehensive business audit to assess the effectiveness of our multicultural engagement. This analysis led to several strategic enhancements in how we connect with consumers such as:
- Enhancing visual merchandising to reflect local market consumers
- Implementing customized store experiences in high-diversity markets
- Increasing visibility of multicultural social media content
We believe that we have an opportunity to uniquely serve multicultural families. From where we locate our stores to delivering a personalized digital experience, we aim to be intentional in meeting the needs of all our customers.”
Johncia Bartley, Vice President, Consumer Insights & Multicultural Marketing
2024 Multicultural Growth Metrics
YoY African American increase in dollar sales
YoY Hispanic increase in dollar sales
Our 2024 multicultural media campaign drove strong consumer response with engagement metrics outperforming benchmarks by 50%.
Workplace Diversity
We strive to create an environment where all employees feel a sense of belonging. We are focused on building a workforce that supports our consumer acquisition and retention efforts through the support of our cross-functional teams leveraging consumer insights to inform our product, marketing, and consumer experience strategies. Our teams are also focused on maintaining fairness across our global enterprise. We enhanced our approach in 2024 through stronger leadership accountability and broadened leadership training.
We maintain focus on hiring employees who understand and reflect our multicultural customers. We also prioritize building cultural competency across all employee levels. In 2024, we completed our "Habits of Inclusion" training across all levels, with tailored versions for retail and distribution teams to ensure relevance and accessibility.
Moving forward, we will continue to expand educational initiatives and reinforce accountability at all levels, supporting the development of the best talent across our organization.
Employee Demographics: Race & Ethnicity27
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27
Race and ethnicity data are U.S. only, from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024.
Employee Demographics: Gender28
Employee Population
Women
Men
Not Specified
Senior Leadership Team
5
6
-
VP and Director Level
127
101
2
Junior and Senior Managers
2,086
317
32
Supervisor and Below
9,910
1,390
627
Total Employees
12,132
1,820
661
28
Gender data is global, from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024.
Employees with Different Abilities
Our efforts focus on creating an inclusive environment where every employee can contribute fully and thrive professionally. As an equal opportunity employer, Carter’s is committed to providing equal treatment for all employees, including those with different abilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We aspire to address barriers that may inhibit employees’ and consumers’ access to an equitable workplace and retail experience. We follow state and federal accommodation requirements and, in line with our values, hold discussions that prioritize inclusivity. These discussions ensure that accommodations do not impose undue hardship or pose a threat to the health or safety of individuals, while also maintaining confidentiality and dignity. We also welcome certified service animals.
EMPLOYEES WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES (in total numbers)29
Supplier Diversity
Carter’s is committed to expanding business opportunities with traditionally underrepresented businesses, including those owned by women, minorities, LGBTQ+ community members, veterans, and individuals with different abilities. We continued to mature our supplier diversity program in 2024 by enhancing program infrastructure and expanding industry engagement.
We implemented a new vendor information management system that allows suppliers to self-manage their profiles— including diversity status and certifications—streamlining engagement with diverse suppliers. To support this enhancement, we developed a comprehensive Supplier Diversity Playbook to help our sourcing teams understand the program scope and alignment with Carter’s broader diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Diverse Supplier Metrics
2022
2023
2024
Senior Leadership Team
$22.1M
$19.2M
$13.5
% of Total In-Scope Spend30
0.90%
0.93%
1.31%
# Diverse Suppliers
45
59
44
30
Items considered within in-scope spend include non-government suppliers located in the U.S. and Canada.
Goal
Continue to grow our Supplier Diversity program
2024 PROGRESS
Maintained our total in-scope spend compared to 2022
Supplier Spotlight
DSI Security Services is a woman-owned business that provides security services for our distribution centers.
“We at DSI Security Services are proud to partner with Carter’s in supporting their commitment to supplier diversity. By providing innovative, reliable security services tailored to their needs, we help foster a safe and secure environment for their operations.”
We strengthened our engagement in the supplier diversity community by joining the retail industry group within the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). This strategic partnership provides valuable opportunities for:
- Sharing knowledge with industry peers
- Accessing diverse supplier recommendations
- Expanding network opportunities within the retail sector
- Developing best practices specific to retail operations
