5 June 2025
Foxtrot expanded its sign language service to 70 stores
As of early June 2025, the retailer has enabled the “Barrier-Free Foxtrot” service to serve customers with hearing impairments, which is already operating in 70 stores of the chain
10 stores began operating according to barrier-free standards in April (in Kyiv, Uzhgorod, Zaporizhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Ternopil), increasing the number to 40. And during May, the retailer scaled the service to another 30 stores, including in Brovary, Nikopol, Kremenchug, Rivne, etc.
“For people with hearing impairments, the ability to buy equipment easily and without barriers is not just a convenience, but a basic need. In addition, such an experience builds trust and a desire to return to the store. That is why we are constantly improving and scaling our services so that every customer has equal opportunities for comfortable shopping. We are also working on physical accessibility – we are adapting the retail spaces of stores to the inclusive expectations of our visitors,” – says Lesya Nikulina, head of the company’s trade marketing department, curator and initiator of the “Barrier-Free Foxtrot” project.
To call an online sign language interpreter in stores, a customer can use a special tablet with installed software or scan a QR code. The “Ear” web widget is available on the Foxtrot.ua website for simultaneous communication with a contact center operator and a sign language interpreter.
Since the service was launched, the project initiators have identified the most popular store among deaf customers.
Based on the results of the project, the retailer has for the first time recognized the most popular barrier-free store in terms of serving deaf customers. It was the store in Lviv on ul. Pid Dubom, 7B. The team conducted 168 consultations using an online sign language interpreter. This is more than 11 hours of communication and support to help customers with hearing impairments get complete information about the equipment.
Since the launch of the sign language service, more than 40 hours of consultations have been provided in stores and 20 hours via a web widget on the website. The retailer’s further plans for the current year are to cover the entire network with the service. In addition, in new and renovated stores, the retailer focuses on organizing a convenient shopping space for visitors who use a wheelchair, cane or crutches.