The opening hour of each day will be dedicated to the autism friendly initiative, with dimmed light and no music to create a calmer atmosphere.

As the hustle and bustle of the High Street returns with stores re-opening after a lengthy lockdown period, The Entertainer is extending its autism friendly Quiet Hour to run every day across its 171 shops.

The family-owned toy retailer appreciates that while many are excited that shops are now back open, others find the increased number of people, lights and sounds overwhelming and stressful.

The Entertainer first partnered with the National Autistic Society to offer a Quiet Hour in 2018, and went on to run the initiative on Saturdays and during school holidays. Now it will operate every morning for the first hour of opening.

The retailer 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 support customers with autism.

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. 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. The company is really showing its commitment to autistic shoppers and leading the way for other retailers.”

Around 1 in 100 people in the UK is autistic. To find out more about the National Autistic Society’s visit: www.autism.org.uk