Accessibility isn’t just a social responsibility — it can directly affect customer loyalty, spending and retail revenue. In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg speaks with Mark Webb, former retail leader and disability advocate, about living with multiple sclerosis and what retailers can learn from his experiences as both a customer and industry insider.
Prior to medical retirement, Mark held senior comms and social media roles at Disneyland Paris, the Walt Disney Company, David Lloyd Leisure, Dixons Retail and Shift.ms.
Mark shares how flexibility and compassion from his employers helped him stay in work after his MS diagnosis — and why he believes many retailers are still getting accessibility wrong.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open and Disabled Representation
04:39 Early Days at Dixons
06:07 Transforming Stores Under John Browett
10:17 Making Seb James Most Followed UK Retail CEO
13:38 First Symptoms of MS at Disneyland Paris
21:01 Accommodations in the Workplace and Carving Out a New Role
26:13 Purple Pound and Disabled Spending Power
27:52 How Retailers Should Cater to Disabled Shoppers
29:33 Quiet Hours and Sensory Overload in Retail
31:12 Scoring Retailers on Accessibility
Connect with Mark on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-webb-42b9124/
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