Supermarket drives away trouble with classical music!
A Northamptonshire supermarket says Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky are helping it to stop troublemakers hanging around outside its store.
Staff at Higham Ferrers Co-op broadcast taped classical music on speakers outside the shop to deter groups of people they think might cause trouble.
The supermarket, which has held onto its alcohol licence after residents called for it to be reviewed, said classical music was one of the initiatives it was using to reduce anti-social behaviour problems.
Co-operative spokesman Adrian Hill said: "There is concern about anti-social behaviour in Higham Ferrers but we regard ourselves as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
"We're increasing security at the store, working closely with police and operating a strict policy on age-restricted products which clearly instructs staff to ask for proof of age if a customer appears to be under 21.
"We introduced classical music on external speakers to deter potential troublemakers from hanging around outside and intimidating our customers and staff."
The licence review was launched by East Northamptonshire Council after it received 29 complaints from residents about large groups of youths gathering outside the premises, consuming alcohol and causing disruption in the town centre.
The licence was not revoked but conditions were added including one ensuring the store's security officer cannot take breaks without a reasonable excuse between 7pm and 9pm.
The Co-op must also introduce initiatives to address juvenile behaviour, review its on-floor staff numbers policy and its display of alcohol to ensure fewer thefts.
The top tracks the Co-op believes are guaranteed to move on troublemakers are The Preludes by Liszt, pieces from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Deux Morceaux and Sleeping Beauty, numbers from Vivaldi's Concerto Number Eight and The Four Seasons, Mozart's symphony number 40, Rossini's Figaro, Bellini's Casta Diva from Norma and Bach's Violin Concerto in E.
The Co-op began rolling out classical music to 200 of its stores in 2005.
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