Lidl to host autism friendly shopping evenings

Date published: July 25, 2017

Lidl, in partnership with the Irish Autism Action, has announced that it will be trialling autism friendly quiet evenings in its Mullingar, Carrickmacross and Pottery Road stores. Every Tuesday between 6pm and 8pm there will be dimmed lighting, no in-store announcements or music, priority queueing for people and families dealing with autism as well as extra assistance upon request.

The suggestion to trial the quiet evenings was made by one of Lidl’s team members as they have personal experience of autism and an appreciation for how a few simple changes can positively enhance the shopping experience.

Deirdre Ryan, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Lidl says:

“Public spaces can be overwhelming for anyone with autism and, as with everything we do in Lidl, we put the customer first and want to ensure any concept is fully tested and delivers positive results for all involved. Pending the learnings from the trials we will then make a decision on introducing autism friendly shopping evenings in more locations.”

An in-store map will also be available for children with autism to plan and organise their shopping trips which will add structure and routine to help them deal with otherwise chaotic experiences.