CEO Foxtrot took part in the meeting of First Lady Olena Zelenska with members of the "Business Without Barriers" community

"It was an extremely difficult year. But at the same time, this is the year when barrier-freeness from philosophy became action. From a worldview, it turned even more into a necessity. From the availability of houses, surrounding spaces and services to new approaches in employment, the formation of veteran policies," – Olena Zelenska emphasized in her speech.


The focus of the meeting was the presentation of community projects, as well as summing up the results of the year, presentation of programs for maintaining mental health in the workplace and fostering resilience, company policies aimed at a comfortable return to the workplace of defenders.


For Foxtrot, 2023 was a very fruitful year for the introduction of barrier-free initiatives and participation in mental health support programs. In particular, the launch of the "Barrier-free Foxtrot" project for the implementation of modern solutions for serving deaf customers became a flagship. From June 2023, a number of stores in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Vinnytsia will offer a modern sign language online consultation service.


"At Foxtrot, we create an open, barrier-free space where the interests of every customer are taken into account. That is why the company became the first Ukrainian business that initiated the adaptation of the network to the needs of visitors with hearing impairment. Our goal is to ensure the availability of products and services of the Foxtrot network for people for whom the only language of communication is sign language, and to improve the quality of service provision," – said Oleksiy Zozulya, CEO of the company.

With the use of a tablet and the corresponding software, deaf visitors can receive professional advice in a way that is understandable for them, ask additional questions about the selected product and make a comfortable purchase without communication and psychological barriers. And to ensure free access of deaf people to consultation and the opportunity to shop online, a specialized web widget "Vushko" has been installed on the company's website – for simultaneous communication with a contact center operator and a translator.


In addition, Foxtrot participated in the creation of the interactive map "City without borders", where places in the country with inclusive infrastructure from "LUN City" are marked. These are more than 800 locations, of which 97 are Foxtrot stores. Also, during 2023, the company became a powerful voice of the "How are you?" communication campaign.

In 2024, Foxtrot plans to continue scaling the Barrier-free Foxtrot project, develop projects on mental health and integration of veterans.

Additional Information. The "Business Without Barriers" community was launched in May 2020, when ten Ukrainian and international companies united around the initiative of the President's wife "Without Barriers" and declared their support for the values of barrier-freeness. Retailer Foxtrot joined the community in October 2021, declaring its intention to further implement the principles of barrier-free business. In total, as of today, the "Business Without Barriers" community includes 25 companies.