UK-listed brands exposed to EU’s accessibility crackdown

Analysis of FTSE 100 consumer-facing websites finds widespread barriers affecting everyday digital journeys, from shopping and banking to travel and insurance

London, 17 June 2026  Major UK-listed brands may be exposed to penalties under EU accessibility regulations, with a new analysis finding  widespread digital barriers across the websites of FTSE 100 companies active in Europe.

The research by Accessiway, Europe’s leading digital accessibility provider, reviewed the websites of 24 UK-listed companies across sectors including retail, banking, insurance, telecoms, travel and ecommerce. Every website analysed showed at least one accessibility issue against the criteria tested.

The findings come as enforcement of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which began applying on 28 June 2025, appears to be gathering pace. Earlier this month a French court ordered a major retailer to make its online shopping website and app fully accessible to people with visual impairments within six months, with fines of €500 per day if it fails to comply by the deadline.

While the UK is not directly covered by the EAA, the regulation - like GDPR - applies based on the markets a company serves rather than where it's headquartered. This means many UK-listed companies with European customers fall within its scope, while UK regulations such as the Equality Act 2010 also cover digital accessibility. Post-Brexit, the EU remains the UK’s largest trading partner, with UK exports of goods and services to the bloc worth £384 billion in 2025.

The most common issue identified in the UK sample was text resizing, with 20 of the 24 websites analysed showing problems when users enlarged text. A further 16 showed colour contrast issues, while 14 showed reflow problems, where content does not adapt properly to smaller screens, zoomed views or different browser settings.

These barriers can affect people with visual impairments, older users, customers with disabilities, neurodivergent users and anyone who relies on adjusting text size, using a keyboard, navigating on mobile, or adapting a website to suit their needs.

Jacopo Deyla, Chief Accessibility Officer at Accessiway, said:

“Most people resize text at some point, whether because of ageing eyesight or simply to make something easier to read on a phone. When that breaks a page, it affects everyone. But people with disabilities, including those with common visual impairments, are hit hardest and may be locked out of essential everyday activities altogether.”

Basic barriers still appearing across major consumer journeys

Accessiway reviewed 107 websites from listed companies across Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the UK. The analysis looked at selected accessibility criteria based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), including colour contrast, text resizing, reflow, keyboard navigation, focus visibility, skip links and focus order.

The UK findings are part of a wider pattern among listed companies across the five countries analysed. The same basic barriers appear repeatedly: text that cannot be resized properly, poor colour contrast and pages that break when viewed on smaller screens or enlarged settings. Text resizing was the most common issue in both the UK and France, affecting 20 of 24 UK sites and 19 of 21 French sites. In Italy and Austria, colour contrast was the leading problem, found on 21 of 25 Italian sites and 14 of 18 Austrian sites. Reflow was the most consistent issue overall, affecting at least half of the companies reviewed in every market.

Jacopo Deyla added: “Many of the most common accessibility issues are well understood and relatively easy to identify. The root problem is not that they are impossible to fix, but that accessibility still lacks clear ownership inside many organisations, and is not yet consistently embedded into how digital services are developed and maintained. Every redesign, campaign page, product update or checkout change has the potential to create new barriers unless accessibility is part of the process from the start.”

Automated scores can create false confidence

The research also highlights the limitations of relying too heavily on automated testing alone. Several websites performed strongly in automated accessibility tools, while manual checks still identified barriers that could affect users in practice.

Jacopo Deyla said: “Automated testing is useful, but it only tells part of the story. A strong dashboard score does not automatically mean a website is accessible in real life. Some of the most important barriers involve how a page behaves when a person uses a keyboard, enlarges text, changes display settings or navigates with assistive technology. Human testing, preferably with people with disabilities, is the only way to reliably identify these issues.”

Ends

Notes to Editor:

About the research

Accessiway reviewed 107 consumer-facing websites from major companies listed across five European stock-market indices: the FTSE 100, DAX, CAC 40, FTSE MIB and ATX Prime.

For the UK element of the analysis, Accessiway reviewed 24 consumer-facing websites from FTSE 100 companies with  European operations. The research was conducted against selected accessibility criteria based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, including contrast, text resizing, reflow, keyboard access, skip links, focus visibility, focus order, flashes and pause.

The findings represent a snapshot at the time the research was conducted. They do not constitute a full legal compliance audit or formal conformity assessment, but provide an indication of common accessibility barriers appearing across publicly available consumer-facing digital services.

About Accessiway

Accessiway is Europe’s fastest-growing digital accessibility company, committed to making the internet truly inclusive for people with disabilities. Founded in 2021, Accessiway combines automation with human expertise to help organisations meet international standards such as WCAG 2.2 and the European Accessibility Act (EAA). With a team of over 140 specialists supporting more than 2,000 clients across Italy, France, Austria, Germany and the UK, Accessiway works with organisations in e-commerce, finance, public services, education, and technology. In 2024, Accessiway joined team.blue, one of Europe’s leading digital services providers, accelerating its reach, product innovation and compliance impact across the continent.

More information: www.accessiway.com

Press Contacts

Melanie Defries: melanie.defries@accessiway.com 

Tel: 07931 551213