A KEIGHLEY supermarket is introducing a quieter hour for customers who would benefit from a calmer shopping trip.

Morrisons is aiming the special time at customers who currently struggle with music and the other noise associated with supermarket shopping.

It will take place every Saturday in the Worth Way store from 9am to 10am.

The Quieter Hour initiative has been created with the support of the National Autistic Society. Many people who are autistic or those with autistic children can find shopping in a supermarket an anxious experience.

Morrisons carried out a trial earlier in the year in three of its stores to find out what improvements can be made and to find a convenient time each week for the ‘Quieter Hour’ to take place.

Listening to customers, the company found that one in five had a friend or family member with autism and many appreciated the option to shop at that time on a Saturday.

During Quieter Hours the store will dim the lights, turn music and radio off, avoid making tannoy announcements, and reduce the movement of trolleys and baskets.

Staff will also turn down checkout beeps and other electrical noises, and place a poster outside to tell customers that it is Quieter Hour.

Morrisons has also pledged to improve awareness amongst staff members of the issues faced by autistic customers in store.

Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society, said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK. This means they see, hear and feel the world differently to other people, often in a more intense way. Morrisons ‘Quieter Hour’ is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”

John Waterhouse at Morrisons Keighley said: “Our initial trials showed there is a need for a quieter shopping experience. We hope that these changes make a real difference for some of our customers at our store.”

Visit my.morrisons.com/blog/community/quieter-hour for further information on Morrisons Quieter Hour.