A supermarket in Arnold has now signed up to support a campaign aimed at encouraging retailers to maintain in-store seating for pensioners.
Staff and residents at Challond Court in Wendling Gardens in Arnold have welcomed the news that the Sainsbury’s store on St John Robinson Way will now be backing their Standing Up 4 Sitting Down (su4sd) campaign.
The store is now one of 600 stores across the UK who have signed up to support the campaign which is calling for retailers to maintain the amount of seating available in-store so older and disabled people and pregnant women can rest mid-shop.
Anchor, who runs Challond Court, launched the campaign after research found that 69% of over 70s said the amount of seating in public places across the country is falling with 66% believing the lack of seating in shopping areas is a problem.
Shoppers visiting Sainsbury’s in Sir John Robinson Way, which will be displaying the su4sd sticker, are being encouraged to use the seating by the tills.
Michelle Hart, manager of Challond Court, said: “It is great that 600 Sainsbury’s branches across the country, including the one in Arnold, will support the Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign.
“Older people are often cut off from the online world, so it’s crucial we enable them to connect in other ways.
“Anchor’s campaign calls for change that benefits everyone. For shops, providing seating is a great opportunity to boost footfall and spending. For older people, it offers the opportunity for important social contact to tackle loneliness, encourages physical exercise, and allows a generation the chance to live later life to its fullest.”
Clare Muscutt, Head of Customer Experience at Sainsbury’s, said: “We work hard to make our supermarkets an inclusive and welcoming environment for customers.
“We provide chairs at the back of our checkouts for anyone that would find them useful, as well as offering assistance at all times to customers who may need additional help shopping in store with us. We fully support the Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign and hope customers will make use of this seating when they visit our supermarkets.”
The su4sd campaign has also been supported by Debenhams, Hotter, and more than 200 independent retailers across England. More than 15 charities and several MPs and the former Chancellor George Osborne have supported the campaign.
Michelle Hart said that if any other retailers wanted to join the campaign, pledging to maintain the number of seats they have available for shoppers to use ,they can contact the su4sd team at communications.team@anchor.org.uk.
