ASDA to sell disability equipment

By Paul Carter

Supermarket chain ASDA has become the first in the UK to sell living aids aimed at disabled and older people.

75 ASDA stores are now stocking 15 products including mobility aids such as folding wheelchairs and walking sticks, as well as urine bottles, tap turners and easy handle pans.

They will be sold under the brand Mobilease, developed by businessman Dermot McLaughlin.

Mr McLaughlin said that the disability living aids industry had been “living in the dark ages for decades.”

He said: “They should be easily available to customers, but the existing government system can be slow and restrictive.”
 “It has been my ambition for years to take these products mainstream.  They provide a great benefit to a vast number or people, but for too long people have not known where to find them.

Chris Shaw, CEO of the Disability Living Foundation, welcomed the move, saying that it made such equipment more readily accessible to disabled and older people.

She said: “It shows that there is an important and growing need for it and that is part of the solution to people living safely and independently at home. We hope this move will mean that more people are aware that equipment exists and how to find it.”

However, she also sounded a word of caution about making such equipment available to all.

“It's also important that people have the right information and advice before purchase and that they have access to professional assessment where this is needed,” she said.

ASDA said it hoped that selling the goods in its stores would “break down the negative stigma and taboos.”

Pamela Martin, senior buyer for ASDA, said: “Mobilease products are incredibly important for a large number of our customers and we're delighted to be the exclusive retailer.

“Our 17 million customers a week identify ASDA as a retailer that is constantly looking to offer value in all areas of our business and this new offering supports this wholeheartedly.”