The Entertainer is to introduce a weekly ‘Quiet Hour’ at its Altrincham store to help children with special needs.
Following a successful pilot last month, the toy retailer will be rolling out the initiative across all its stores, including its George Street outlet.
Quiet Hour – which will begin at 9am every Saturday – is designed to make shopping a more comfortable experience for children with autism, ADHD and other conditions, many of whom find busy crowds and loud noises overwhelming.
Music will be turned off, as well as loud demo products, with the aim of making the shopping experience “less daunting”.
“It was great to hear the positive feedback from customers who had visited an Entertainer store during the daily Quiet Hour, which was held during half term and as a result we are delighted to announce the introduction of a weekly Quiet Hour, which will take place each Saturday morning,” The Entertainer’s founder and managing director Gary Grant said.
“We continually look for ways to improve customer experience as it’s hugely important to us that all children feel comfortable in our stores and are able to explore the toys we have available.”
The National Autistic Society’s Daniel Cadey added: “We’re delighted that The Entertainer is taking this positive step to make shopping a better experience for autistic children.
“Small changes such as removing in-store music can make a huge difference to autistic people, who can struggle to filter out background noise which can cause them enormous distress.”
