Fife shopping centre backs Purple Tuesday

Purple Tuesday, launched today, was the UK’s first-ever national, accessible shopping day - a campaign which has been created to recognise the importance and needs of customers with disabilities.

It has been backed by the Mercat Shopping Centre which showed its commitment to further improving an inclusive shopping experience for many years.

All three of the centre’s car parks have lifts to the mall level, as well as its disabled toilet facilities. Customers can hire Shopmobility scooters or manual wheelchairs to assist with shopping. BBs and M&S cafés both have mall seating areas, which easily accommodate wheelchairs.

Stephen Roberts, centre manager said: “Almost 20 per cent of adults in the UK have a disability, 80 per cent of which have an invisible or hidden impairment. This means that an incredible four out of five disabled customers may require some sort of support.

“For our visitors who experience the world differently, we want to ensure we are providing the best customer service and accessibility we can.

“We are continually working with our retailers to look for ways to improve visitors’ experience as it’s hugely important to us that everyone feels comfortable

“Making simple adjustments to our surroundings opens up new opportunities for those with ‘silent’ disabilities to feel much more at ease when out in public spaces.

Purple Tuesday was launched by the disability organisation Purple, which brings disabled people and businesses together with the aim of changing the conversation from one of disadvantage and inequality to one of potential and value.

Mike Adams CEO said: “This is a collaborative campaign that extends far beyond one day, and it’s vital that retail organisations come together to make shopping more pleasurable and efficient for everyone.”