Coles Group ranked number one out of 40 organisations in the Access and Inclusion Index last year, jumping from third place in two years.

“Disability inclusion has been an integral part of the Coles Group strategy for a number of years and we are delighted to have made changes across our business to reflect this, most notably in our employment and workforce representation, with 7.6 per cent of our 120,000 team members identifying as living with disability,” said Leah Weckert, Coles CEO.

Since the 2021 Access and Inclusion Index results, Coles made significant changes in its in-store and digital accessibility including the low-sensory shopping period to five days a week nationwide and providing disability confidence training to customer-facing team members.

The company also participated in the Australian Disability Network’s Pace Mentoring program, annually tested its digital experience with a focus group of Australians who have lived with a disability, and launched an autism support hub for leaders and team members.

Moreover, Coles worked with customer focus groups to identify opportunities to improve the accessibility of more than 50 own-brand products.

“The Australian Disability Network’s Index is an important benchmark, and sets the tone for Australian organisations to continue to implement improvements and initiatives that help close the disability gap – no matter what rank you achieve,” said Weckert.

“While we are proud of our growth in this area, we are committed to further improving the representation of our workforce who have disabilities, and supporting their development by providing them with the tools to progress their careers at Coles.”