Public and COMM'ON Join Forces to Promote Age Inclusion in Retail

Apr 30
2 min read

Greece is changing because it is ageing. Yet many of the products, services and environments that shape everyday life continue to be designed with younger generations in mind. As demographic change reshapes society, organisations across sectors are being called to rethink how they respond to the needs, expectations and experiences of older adults.

This shared challenge brought Public and COMM'ON together to explore how retail environments can become more inclusive, welcoming and accessible for people of all ages through the initiative "Public, Dixos Ilikia" (AgeLess).

The collaboration is based on a simple idea: age inclusion is not only a matter of products and services, but also of culture, relationships and everyday interactions.

At the heart of the initiative is a new training programme developed by COMM'ON in collaboration with Co2gether and the Public training team. Drawing on social innovation methodologies, lived experiences and international good practices, the programme supports retail employees in understanding the realities of ageing, recognising age-related biases and developing the skills needed to create more meaningful customer experiences.

The initiative was publicly presented on the 28th of April 2026 during the Public Talks event "Dixos Ilikia", which opened a broader conversation around demographic change, age inclusion and the role that businesses can play in responding to one of the most significant social transformations of our time.

Moderated by Marou Chatzopoulou (Methodology Designer for Social Innovation and co-founder of COMM'ON), the discussion brought together Stavros Gonos (Director of the Institute of Chemical Biology at the National Hellenic Research Foundation), Mariam Sandri (Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Public), Dr. Maria Zafiropoulou (Gerontologist and Founder of Co2gether), Irini Vasileiou (Head of Brand and Communications at Samsung Electronics Greece & Cyprus), and Argyro Spiridaki (Founder and General Director of “I Read for Others”).

Together, they explored how demographic ageing is reshaping society and highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral collaborations in creating products, services and environments that enable older adults to remain active, visible and engaged in community life.

As highlighted throughout the discussion, ageing should not be approached solely as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to rethink how organisations design experiences, services and relationships for a society that is becoming increasingly diverse in age.

For COMM'ON, the partnership represents an opportunity to apply social innovation methodologies within the retail sector and explore how businesses can contribute to more inclusive communities.

For Public, it marks the beginning of a long-term commitment to creating environments where older adults feel recognised, respected and welcomed.

The conversation around age inclusion has only just begun, and we are excited to continue building it together.

When: 20 April 2026

Where: Public store, Syntagma

PUBLIC Program announcement: https://blog.public.gr/kainotomia/dixws-hlikia

Social Media