What the French retail accessibility lawsuits tell us about EU enforcement

In July 2025, the French associations ApiDV and Droit Pluriel formally put four major retail chains on notice to meet their accessibility obligations, then took them to court, the first court action against the private sector over digital accessibility in the EU. The complaint: websites and apps that fail screen readers, break keyboard navigation, and lock blind users out of services such as click & collect. On 5 May 2026, the Lille court dismissed the case against Auchan on points of legal procedure, but the ruling recorded an undisputed RGAA compliance of just 41%, and Auchan committed to delivering an accessible website by the end of 2026. The enforcement authority, the DGCCRF, can impose penalties of up to €7,500 per breach (€15,000 for a repeat offence). Disability-rights organisations across the EU are watching the French case as a possible precedent. The pattern is clear: even large, well-resourced retailers can sit far below the legal accessibility bar after years of effort. If the biggest players are at 41%, mid-sized stores are very likely below the line too. A baseline accessibility scan takes only minutes; fixing the criticals takes weeks. Start now, not when a regulator or a disability-rights group writes to you.