Older shoppers say age-aware store ideal

Aug 29 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal

SILVER shoppers have expressed delight after visiting a supermarket for older people, which could come to the North.

The troupe of pensioners were invited to the specialist store in Germany as part of a fact-finding mission with scientists from Newcastle University.

It is hoped a Tesco supermarket seeking planning permission at the £30m Institute of Ageing and Health will feature elements taken from the Berlin model.

The pioneering Kaiser’s store, in Friedrichshain, features anti-slip flooring, wider aisles for easy manoeuvring and shopping trolleys with magnifying glasses and seats for rest breaks.

Elsie Richardson, 82, vice-chairman of Newcastle’s Years Ahead project, who was invited on the eight-strong trip, said it had changed her experience of shopping.

The grandmother of one, of Heaton, Newcastle, said: “It very much lived up to my expectations. There are things that make life more convenient and comfortable for older people.

“I’m 82 and only 4ft 10½, so I can’t reach the top shelves or bend down to those on the bottom, I’m a middle-shelf shopper. Here you can reach everything, you can step on to a step as well as reaching those lower down.

“They have a little seat on the shopping trolley so you can have a rest if it gets too much. The layout is also excellent. Some supermarkets at home are enormous.

“All of the foodstuff looked beautiful. There’s a magnifying glass at the end of each row and also a button where you can call for someone to come and help.”

Mrs Richardson was then able to rest her feet and enjoy a fresh brew with friends afterwards in the specially-adapted relaxation area, which has computers for silver surfers to go online.

If planning permission is granted in October, Tesco will build the 60,000sq ft store as part of the campus of healthy living. The company told The Journal that nothing was set in stone and plans were still at an early stage as public consultation was carried out.

Mrs Richardson, studying for a PhD at Northumbria University on older people and policy making in the 21st Century, said: “It’s quite difficult for me when I shop, I have a walking stick. There’s a little area on the shopping trolley where you can put your stick.

“It just makes life a little bit easier as people find supermarket shopping very tiring. We have never stopped talking about it. It should happen everywhere, all over the country.”