X5 expanded the geography of its social project to equip Pyaterochka stores with a system that assists visually impaired individuals.

As part of the initiative, Pyaterochka installed the Talking City system in an additional 15 stores in Krasnodar, Novorossiysk, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kursk and Moscow, bringing the number of participating Pyaterochka stores to 26.

Priority was given to stores located near social facilities that are frequently attended by the visually impaired, including specialised schools and rehabilitation centres. Since its launch, the initiative has helped more than 500 customers with visual impairments to have a more comfortable in-store experience.

The Talking City system enables visually impaired individuals to locate store entrances and navigate indoors with no assistance.

Visitors can use a special free app or a touch-tone device (to be provided by a non-profit organisation) to find the right door or navigate inside the store. The system also sounds warnings about obstacles near the entrances, along with other special audible signals.