Currys expands accessibility trial to London Stores

• Currys continues trial of ‘WelcoMe’ accessibility tool, designed to make in-store shopping easier for customers with disabilities, in 20 London stores. 
• Customers register their specific requirements prior to visiting a local Currys store, which allows colleagues to prepare for, and personalise their visit.

London-based Currys customers can benefit from a new tool designed to make shopping easier for customers with disabilities. The electricals retailer has announced an expansion of its trial with web-app ‘WelcoMe’ to 20 additional stores*, building on its ongoing success in the Birmingham region.

The purpose-built web-app allows shoppers with a disability to register an in-person store visit, specifying what might make their visit more comfortable, and an estimated date/time of arrival. The stores are then notified of the upcoming visit, giving them the opportunity to prepare for and accommodate any specific requirements etc.

The tool also gives retail partners access to useful pointers and best practice techniques to help accommodate anybody, specific to certain disabilities, i.e. best practice on how to greet a guide dog owner etc. These are provided by leading charities and designed to heighten disability awareness in general.

Currys Oxford Street Store General Manager, Sameena Panwala, whose team recently welcomed a customer using the tool, explains: “We really do mean it when we say We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology, and our partnership with WelcoMe plays perfectly into our ambition. I’m already seeing the benefits of the tool be brought to life. Just the other day a customer shared the most amazing feedback about their experience in our store – outlining how they received a fantastic service and my team made their experience so much smoother than usual.”

WelcoMe Founder, Gavin Neate adds, “Building on our already flourishing relationship with Currys is a testament to how important this initiative is. When we see knowledgeable, confident staff members interact with their disabled customers and hear positive feedback from both, it gives us the most amazing feeling that our Tech 4 Good solution could change the world – and we’re proud that Currys are joining us on this journey.”

WelcoMe is also available across many different sectors, with clients such as Northlink Ferries, Westminster City Council, East Midlands Rail, and Glasgow Science Centre.

*Includes Barbican, Orpington, Brixton, Charlton, Croydon, Bromley, Wembley Stadium, Crayford, Colliers Wood, Mile End Road, Staples Corner, New Malden, Brentford, White City Westfield, Tottenham Court Road, Old Kent Road, Kensington, Sydenham, Oxford Street East, Canary Wharf stores