Asda rolls out new ‘quieter hour’ initiative
Asda is rolling out a new quieter hour in its stores as part of plans to help customers with certain disabilities.
The move coincides with the supermarket giving over 85,000 staff members extra training to help them better serve disabled customers through the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme.
The new quieter hour is running from 2pm to 3pm Monday to Thursday. In addition, Asda’s store locator will be updated to provide better accessibility information for each store including information about changing places bathroom facilities, braille guns and hearing loops which are available in a number of shops across the UK.
Asda will also turn its logo and social media icons purple to mark today’s Purple Tuesday, which highlights the challenges disabled people face and calls for action for improvements in customer service.
Mark Simpson, Asda chief supply chain officer and exec sponsor for Disability, said: ‘’We are proud to be an inclusive business for our customers and colleagues, that’s why now and over the past four years since its inception, we support Purple Tuesday. There are an estimated 14.1 million people with a disability living in the UK, and 80% of disabilities are hidden, so we hope that by introducing quieter times for customers to shop that we will be able to make our stores more welcoming and inclusive for customers with additional needs.’’
In a further move, the supermarket is sponsoring Purple Tuesday 365 annual learning subscription service that helps organisations and their staff to access knowledge and practical approaches to provide better everyday experiences for disabled people and their families.
