Improving access for all

With approximately one in four New Zealanders limited by a physical, sensory or learning disability, mental health or other challenges, accessibility is a crucial area to get right as a large business.

We’re pleased to announce our partnership with Accessibility Tick, a pan-disability provider whose purpose is to support businesses to make their workplaces more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities, whether they are team members or customers.

We have been working with the organisation to achieve the Accessibility Tick, solidifying our commitment to this journey. As of 3^rd December 2019, we have become the first retailer in New Zealand to achieve a significant milestone with Accessibility Tick.

“I’m proud to say that The Warehouse Group will become the first organisation in the New Zealand retail sector to achieve the Accessibility Tick,” says Nick Grayston, Chief Executive Officer at The Warehouse Group.

“We believe a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace brings out the best in our people. That’s why we’re committed to creating an environment where all team members feel safe and confident to bring their whole selves to work and customers have full access to our stores.”

We are committed to continue striving towards removing accessibility barriers for our customers and team members. We are working with Accessibility Tick Disability Sector Partners, All is for All and Altogether Autism to help us remove accessibility barriers for customers, team members, and potential team members.

There are multiple programmes of work in place to support accessibility across The Warehouse Group, including working closely with team members on matters that personally impact their needs the most while at work.

Some of the changes we’re working on coming to our stores over the next five years to help customers who have an accessibility need include: a trial of quiet shopping hours for neuro-diverse customers in The Warehouse stores, ensuring that all new stores across the Group are physically accessible, and ensuring that our e-commerce presence is just as accessible as a physical store would be.

The achievement was celebrated at The Warehouse Group's Store Support Office in Auckland on 3rd December, with The Cookie Project as a special guest, a social enterprise that employs Kiwis with disabilities to make delicious cookies by hand.