Coles 'Quiet Hour'

Coles will roll out an autism-friendly shopping experience at 66 stores across Australia, starting today.

Southern Cross News Report Featuring Lend a hand to Hugo Director & Founder Luke Williams:

PA announcements will also be stopped (unless an emergency occurs), free fruit is offered at customer service and additional team members will be available to support customers.

Lend a hand to Hugo Founder Luke Williams says that, "People on the autism spectrum often have difficulty processing sensory information and can find lights, sounds, smell, touch and large groups of people confronting." "It's important that we are creating environments tailored to meet each individuals needs, and I think that the extra support staff particularly will be a huge asset to families experiencing autism, not to mention the reducing of lights and sounds."

"This initiative from Coles is a huge step forward to creating inclusive environments, and will hopefully enable families to do their groceries without much stress." Williams said, "This isn't only a huge step forward for the autism community, but now people who may not be on the spectrum, but have similar struggles can venture out to their closest Coles without stress. It's a win-win for everyone, all whilst bringing attention to an incredibly important topic."

'Quiet Hour' will occur weekly on Tuesday mornings between the hour of 10:30am-11:30am.