Sainsburys: Signsburys by Gravity Road, PHD UK & Hope&Glory

Sainsbury’s has today unveiled the UK’s first signing store in Bath, Somerset, as part of its 150 Days of Community initiative.

The iconic sign above the superstore’s door changed to Signsbury’s overnight, in a move to celebrate community inclusivity and encourage all colleagues and customers to sign with one another.

Inside the store, technology is being deployed to encourage customers to get involved - dynamic video screens have been installed, showcasing smart sign language content for different words and phrases, including ‘milk’, ‘trolley’ and ‘bananas’.

What’s more, children will be able to Sign for a Snack: upon mastering how to sign basic words, they will be given a free fruit snack.

The initiative was devised by Gravity Road and executed in collaboration with PR agency, Hope & Glory, and media agency PHD.

The move comes as part of Sainsbury’s 150 Days of Community scheme, launched as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations. The initiative sees its 185,000 colleagues across the UK given the opportunity to volunteer for a cause they feel passionately about in their local community.

When store manager Paul Robertson and his team, including deaf colleague Sam Book, heard about the initiative, they suggested making the Bath store more deaf-friendly to help the deaf and hard of hearing community – and so Signsbury’s was born.

Signsbury’s will be open for four days from 18 – 21 July and will see colleagues sign several common words and phrases when interacting with customers - from greeting them at the door, to asking if they have a Nectar Card, to even discussing the weather.