For the first time ever, a major UK supermarket will begin to sell aids to help disabled and elderly people this week.
Amongst the line of products available from Asda this Saturday are urine bottles, raised toilet seats, walking sticks and many others. Asda’s marketing team are billing the move as an attempt to “break the taboos” associated with the sale of the products.
Those able to benefit from the new range of items include elderly people, those with long-term disabilities or short term injuries. Less obvious aids like bath shelves and jar twisters will also be on sale.
Asda seems to be cornering the multi-million pound industry at just the right time, following Government initiatives to persuade commercial retailers to stock the products, which have historically only been available from the NHS and Social Services.
Dermot McLaughlin is the business brains behind the new brand, Mobilease, which are manufacturing the products Asda will be selling.
McLaughlin, 40, seems to be the right man for the job, with years of experience in the mobility and living aids industry. He said,“The mobility and living aids industry has been stuck in the dark ages for decades. The very products that are created to make life easier for people have been cursed by a strange irony – they are unnecessarily difficult to access.
“It has been my ambition for years to take these products mainstream. They provide a great benefit to a vast number or people.
“The most important thing is that having Mobilease available in Asda will gradually change people’s perception of disability and eradicate the unnecessary stigma that has surrounded mobility products.
Senior buyer for Asda, Pamela Martin, said, “Mobilease products are incredibly important for a large number of our customers and we’re delighted to be the exclusive retailer.”
To kick start the new line, Asda will begin selling 15 products across 75 branches - if there is enough interest in the products the plan is to extend the sales to all of its 350 stores.
