This Tuesday, April 5 in the shopping mall of the Toison d’Or Shopping Center in Dijon, a “silent hour” has been established, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. A different moment to take autistic people into account and offer a new experience to customers.
In response to World Autism Day, April 2, the shopping centers of the Unibail Rodamco Westfield group observe a “silent hour” in shopping malls. This is the case at the Toison d’Or in Dijon.
The Mall observed for an hour a “quiet moment” for autistic people but also for people suffering from misophonia (hatred of noise). To accomplish this, the center has deliberately muted background music, announcements are suspended for an hour, and ambient lighting has been reduced and dimmed to a third.
Slim Keller, director of the Center Commercial de la Toison d’Or, remarks that the center has “the chance to have beautiful windows that provide soft natural light” which enriches the experience for customers.
This initiative will take place in all shopping centers in France, but above all will continue “for one year”, a commitment that the group has made “with the various associations. We are curious to have feedback from customers, to find out what we can improve. It is not excluded that we can increase the time slots, or extend to other days.”
Precisely, customers questioned on their arrival in the shopping center noted “a change”, “which is not unpleasant!”
The initiative for people with autism is widely appreciated, and customers themselves also find that “the calm in these spaces is not bad! There is less advertising aggression with continuous messages, it’s very pleasant”
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