Dobbies is trialling ‘quiet shopping hours’ to support customers with sensory sensitivities or hidden disabilities, such as autism. The announcement of the in-store trial which is taking place at Dobbies Tewkesbury, coincides with World Autism Acceptance Week (April 2-8).

Dobbies quiet shopping hours are being trialled from Monday to Thursday, from 9am to 10am, and aim to provide a more accessible and calmer shopping experience through reduced stimuli, such as dimmed store lighting and in-store music. During quiet shopping periods there will also be minimum movement of trolleys and baskets, and tannoy announcements will be avoided where possible.

Nick Anderson, Dobbies operations director, said: “We are committed to creating inclusive and welcoming spaces for all our customers and our quiet shopping hours aim to provide a supportive environment, specifically tailored to the needs of customers that might find a traditional trip to the garden centre overwhelming.

“This initiative reflects our ongoing dedication to our customers and the communities in which we operate. I look forward to seeing the results of this trial at Tewkesbury and hope to roll out the initiative across our store estate.”

Sam Field, general manager at Dobbies Tewkesbury, added: “We understand the difficulties some shoppers may face when coming into a bright, loud store, so I am pleased that customers at Tewkesbury can now enjoy a calmer experience. We hope that by offering these dedicated quiet shopping times, we can support even more shoppers to enhance their garden living spaces.

“We welcome feedback from customers on our trial and will look to consider additional aspects of a quieter shopping experience wherever we can.”