Supporting retailers

There are now over 2000 retail outlets across the country supporting Standing Up 4 Sitting Down, pledging to maintain the number of seats people can use if they want to rest mid-shop.

Download the list of retailers supporting SU4SD

At the national level, 600 Sainsbury’s stores are onboard, Virgin Money’s Store and Lounge network, Yorkshire Building Society and Argos have joined us, Debenhams have said they are happy for their branches to support the campaign, and Morrison’s have pledged to maintain the number of seats they have in their stores. Hotter and Seasalt have also backed the campaign.

Clare Muscutt, Head of Customer Experience at Sainsbury’s, said: “We work hard to make our supermarkets an inclusive and welcoming environment for customers. We provide chairs at the back of our checkouts for anyone that would find them useful, as well as offering assistance at all times to customers who may need additional help shopping in store with us. We fully support the Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign and hope customers will make use of this seating when they visit our supermarkets.” 

Claire Deekes, Virgin Money Head of Stores and Lounges said: “Virgin Money is very pleased to support the Stand Up 4 Sitting Down initiative. It can be very daunting for older people to visit large towns and cities without knowing where they could go to find a seat for just 5 or 10 minutes rest. Virgin Money Stores and Lounges throughout the country provide a warm and comfortable environment for anybody who just wants to give their feet a well-earned rest.”

Hotter Shoes Omni Channel Director Victoria Betts said: “Hotter is proud to be Standing Up 4 Sitting Down. We know that accessible stores help ensure shopping is a great experience for all and makes business sense too. Anchor Hanover’s campaign fits beautifully with what we’re all about… style and comfort!”

Stephanie Rosewarne from Seasalt said: "Customers are at the heart of everything we do at Seasalt, which is why if we can make someone’s day that bit better by making sure we have a spare chair for those who can’t stand for long periods, then we’ll do it! We fully support the SU4SD campaign and hope our customers will enjoy a few moments to rest and recuperate with us if needed."

Gary Fowler, Director of Retail Distribution for Yorkshire Building Society said, “We are proud to support Anchor Hanover's campaign ‘Standing Up 4 Sitting Down’. We have comfortable chairs in all our branches, ensuring that seating is available for anyone who needs it, and have over 100 branches that have two or more seats that older people can use to have a rest while out and about in our communities. It is important to us that our customers can retain their independence, which can help tackle loneliness and isolation. Going forward we will also look to increase seating in support of the campaign during branch refurbishments.”

Support is also coming from the Thirsk branch of Tesco while Palmers Department store in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, plan to increase the number of seats available for older and disabled people from six to 15 over the next two years.

Meanwhile BodybalanceCo in Cambridge and Bloomingtails in Brighton have also pledged to increase the number of seats so people can rest mid-shop. Staff at Enfield Post Office in London and Beach Creative CIC in Herne Bay are also supporting the campaign.