The Entertainer extends its Autism Friendly Quiet Hour

With the national lockdown having lifted, the UK high street is starting to thrive once again. Whilst it’s exciting for many that our favourite shops are now back open, others find the increased number of people, lights and sounds overwhelming and stressful.

Family-owned high street toy retailer The Entertainer, has extended its much-loved Quiet Hour to run every day in every one of its 171 stores across the country. The initiative aims to create a calmer shopping environment for autistic people and for any shoppers who find the hustle and bustle of shopping an uncomfortable experience. After previously running on Saturdays and during the school holidays, Quiet Hour will now be operating every morning for the first hour of opening.

The Entertainer has also been awarded an Autism Friendly Award by the National Autistic Society for its commitment to supporting its autistic customers and their families, including providing additional staff training to help store teams to support customers who may be overwhelmed by shopping in busy stores.

Gary Grant, Founder and Executive Chairman of The Entertainer, said: “We are extremely proud of our Quiet Hour and the difference this has made to so many people across the country and we are delighted to now take our commitment to supporting our autistic customers and their families a step further. By extending our Quiet Hours to run every day, we hope this will offer greater flexibility to our autistic customers and enable them to shop with us with confidence on the days that work best for them. During our Quiet Hour, there will be no music playing, our lights will be dimmed wherever possible, and our stores will be made to feel calmer. To be awarded the Autism Friendly Award by the National Autistic Society in addition to this is another extremely proud moment for The Entertainer. We will continue to work hard to make our stores a welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy.”

Tom Purser, Head of Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are very pleased to hear that the Entertainer is extending it’s quiet hours. They are really showing their commitment to autistic shoppers and leading the way for other retailers.

Autistic people represent a huge part of our society — around 1 in 100 people in the UK. It’s important that autistic children, adults and their families have the opportunity to go to the shops, just like anyone else. But many find the crowds, noise and unpredictability of our high streets completely overwhelming and end up avoiding them altogether.

The smallest changes can help open up the high street for autistic people. Things like staff finding out a bit more about autism and making simple adjustments, like turning down music or dimming the lights.

As coronavirus restrictions ease, it’s more important than ever for retailers to consider autistic people and make sure they aren’t left stranded and unable to return to shops along with everyone else.”

To find out more about the National Autistic Society’s

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