22RETAIL SUPPLEMENT BRE RETAIL LIGHTING GUIDE

July 2013 www.lighting.co.uk

“Typically, a lot of store lighting is not really as effective

as it could be because a lot of it is not done by lighting

professionals,” says Paul Littlefair, principal consultant

for lighting at Building Research Establishment (BRE) and

co-author of its Essential Guide to Retail Lighting, due out in July.

This is why the building design consultancy’s new guide is aimed

at anyone who becomes involved in lighting stores, including

architects, interior designers, shop fi tters and facilities managers.

The guidelines are based on fi rst-hand experiences and

observations of Littlefair and the other co-authors of the guide,

the BRE’s senior lighting consultant Cosmin Ticleanu and

lighting consultant Gareth Howlett, who documented details of

89 store visits made in 2011.

“If you go into a store and look up, a lot of the lighting is

not working at any one time,” says Littlefair, who believes a

maintenance strategy must be put in place to tackle this issue.

This could take the form of a bulk replacement of fi ttings,

Charge of the light brigadeOn visiting 89 stores across the UK, lighting consultants from Building Research Establishment found changing rooms that made clothing look ugly and sales fl oors that were uncomfortable for staff. Angeline Albert explains how poor in-store lighting and feedback from lighting designers resulted in a guide to energy-effi cient retail lighting

Under the spotlight Much of the focus of the guide is on energy effi ciency

using longer-life light sources such as LED

instead of tungsten halogen, or the use of

multi-lamp fi ttings so it is not as noticeable

when one light goes out. The new guide recommends the

creation of a maintenance schedule that includes regular lamp

and luminaire cleaning routines and suggests measures for kick-

starting more energy awareness among shop staff.

One recurring problem plaguing stores is the fact that

spotlights are not repositioned in response to regularly changing

displays. The guide suggests using multi-directional gimbal

fi ttings that can swivel within their trunking, or dual-function

downlights that can be recessed or brought out of a fi tting to act

as accent lights.

Changing roomsStore visits by the guide’s authors also showed that customers

faced unfl attering images of themselves in dimly lit changing

Under the spotlight

when one light goes out. The new guide recommends the

creation of a maintenance schedule that includes regular lamp

and luminaire cleaning routines and suggests measures for kick-

Let the daylight in In the M&S Eco Store at Cheshire Oaks, lighting consultants LAPD made sure the daylight levels in the main areas were soft enough for the artifi cial lighting to provide accent light over and above the ambient daylight levels, thereby creating good levels of visual interest in the store

Shop of horrorS: bad retail lighting practiceBring out the gimbals

Multi-directional gimbal fittings such as Flos’ Battery give retailers the flexibility to refocus lights when shop displays are moved around

23retail SUPPleMeNt

retail SUPPleMeNt Ten of the best lit stores in the UK p26

July 2013 www.lighting.co.uk

“research found warmer colours make

people dwell in a store longer, while cooler ones make

them leave”

rooms, while glare made sales staff uncomfortable. “We have

seen cash desks with light sources directly pointed at sales staff,

which could easily be avoided,” says Littlefair. The document

recommends carefully aiming spotlighting and floodlighting

to maximise the impact of displays while simultaneously

reducing glare.

Lighting constitutes a major energy use in retail stores. A

survey carried out by BRE revealed the average lighting power

density was an inefficient 36W/m2 across the stores in its

study, compared with an average of 10–12W/m2 in a modern

office with efficient lighting. The survey also found that the

majority of retailers relied on traditional lighting solutions.

Three-quarters of lamps were fluorescent and nearly half of the

remainder were inefficient tungsten halogens.

Littlefair said getting “energy-efficient lighting that

enhances the appearance of a store and sales” should be

possible – but this was not evident in the majority of

stores he visited.

“We found that in some stores there was quite

high energy usage; the highest usage was found in

jewellery stores where tungsten halogen was fitted.

One way to reduce that would be to use LEDs.” But,

he warns, before buying LEDs, a careful assessment

of the manufacturer’s data on lamp performance is

required. Here, he encourages using a lighting designer

to help consider elements such as the thermal-management

properties of LED lamps. He says this is especially important

when retrofitting LEDs into existing fittings, which could lead to

LEDs getting hot and not working as well.

Staying with the guide’s central focus of energy efficiency, he

says: “People don’t realise the importance of [the performance

of] a luminaire and high light [output] ratio. By choosing a

more efficient luminaire, you can get 50 per cent more light.”

The document goes on to suggest reducing general

illuminance levels to make accent and display lighting really

stand out, and recommends lighting perimeter walls and

vertical surfaces to make spaces look bigger, brighter and more

appealing. It also explicitly recommends using energy-efficient

LEDs and compact metal halide lamps, rather than tungsten

halogen, for spotlighting and accent lighting.

As one would expect, the guide explain basic lighting terms,

On the back of the study by Building research establishment (Bre), Lighting magazine decided to conduct its own investigation of stores in central london and south-east england. retail specialists Paul Nulty, head of Paul Nulty lighting Design, Phil Caton from PJC light Studio and theo Paradise-Hirst from lighting design consultants NDYliGHt were all on hand to give their views

DaYliGHt rOBBerYA fight seems to be taking place in this window display between the bright compact fluorescent lamps on the inside and the daylight on the outside. Neither side appears to be coming out on top and the merchandise in the window is

suffering as a result. It’s pretty poor lighting practice to invite people to stare directly into a compact fluorescent lamp and there are other technologies that would be more suitable for this type of scenario. “The eye is drawn to the big bright lamp, not the merchandise,” says Paul Nulty. “Some accent lighting is needed here. You should have higher levels of light during the daytime which is directed at the merchandise.” Theo Paradise-Hirst adds: “The choice of glazing specification and lighting could be much better to transform the shoppers’ experience and draw attention back to the displays”. (See page 35 also).

teCHNiCOlOUr NiGHtMareThis store ceiling is far from dreamy. The cluttered ceiling and the mix of colour temperatures is more likely to induce migraines than encourage a shopping frenzy. Too much glare, a mixture of blue (cold) and warm lamps both front and back are shown here. This is a case of poor lamp matching and poor maintenance. Nulty says: “You want to replace all the lamps and use a consistent colour temperature”. Caton agrees: “Different colour light from the same fitting range suggests poor maintenance. Colour consistency throughout most projects is usually the best way forward unless creating a distinctive feature that requires a different colour temperature.”

wHO CareS?A failed lamp screams ‘neglect’ in this retailer’s premiere selling spot. It would probably be better to turn the other lamp off to avoid drawing attention to it. “Failed lights suggest poor maintenance and

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July 2013 www.lighting.co.uk

Bad bling Jewellery stores – which commonly use tungsten halogen lamps over more efficient technologies – are among the worst offenders when it comes to consuming vast quantities of energy

cover the design principles of store lighting – such as finding the

right balance between general, ambient and accent lighting –

and uses case studies to illustrate best practice in different stores.

Littlefair says colour strategies for lighting are also explained

in the guidelines. “Research has found warmer colours make

people dwell in a store longer, while cooler colours make people

leave more quickly. So, making a switch to cooler colours at

closing time might not be a bad idea.”

Controlling natureIn addition to this, there is much in the guide about how

lighting works with daylight. “Daylight can increase sales

in some circumstances.” Littlefair refers to research done at

Walmart stores in the US where customers spent more in stores

with lots of daylight in comparison with those that had little

natural light.

The guide explains how more daylight can be introduced in

various ways such as adding roof lights or an atrium. To stop

daylight destroying the visual impact of a window display,

however, introducing an awning, low-reflective glass or glazing

that is tilted downwards could also help.

The document recommends controlling the admission of

daylight, and using lighting controls to make the most of it and

reduce lighting levels outside trading hours. Controls for scene

setting can also deliver efficiencies and help store managers

select a different balance of lighting at different times of the day.

“Essentially the advice is looking to hand some knowledge

to those who are not lighting professionals to help increase the

level of energy efficient lighting in stores,” says Littlefair.

The Essential Guide to Retail Lighting will be available at www.

brebookshop.com from July.

are not good for a brand’s image,” says Caton. “This could also suggest lack of investment, lack of attention to detail within the store and a disinterested approach by store staff.” Paradise-Hirst says: “Fixing the lamps (making sure they both match) and directing the light onto the graphic panel will rescue this fault and improve sales dramatically.” Nulty says: “Most retailers don’t have maintenance strategies in place. They need to train store staff to inform external suppliers.”

Ceiling for saleThe swathe of fluorescents here has created a bright ceiling but a gloomy shop. Some 95 per cent of the lighting is not where it needs to be. Nulty says: “The solution for this is to get really good perimeter lighting. Wash the walls with light

to show the merchandise.” Caton says: “The fluorescent tube lighting in this image creates a very bland flat level of light. It is generally a good idea to get good contrast between the merchandise and adjacent areas so that the products on sale stand out (a minimum ratio of 3:1 is a useful benchmark).”

don’t Cash up, Cash in those pendantsIf the customer ever makes it to the cash desk, they may find the service is poor due to the staff’s bad mood and inability to focus on them. This lighting fails to address the full extent of the transaction zone – sharper, brighter light (low glare) would greatly improve sales and visual comfort. “This area has high contrast ratios,” Nulty says. “You need luminaires that provide better vertical illumination and a softer quality of light, preferably with some uplighting to reduce the contrast ratio.” (See page 36 for how it’s done.)

ill-fitting roomThis changing room is cold and harsh. Overhead lighting forms a horrible tidemark effect on the walls, caused by adverse bounce from mirror edges and, what’s worse, the clothes and person wearing them are actually made

to look bad. Caton says: “Changing-room lighting should be well diffused to minimise shadowing when looking in the mirror; warm white is usually preferred to enhance skin tones. Integrated mirror lighting and light finishes are often encouraged to soften the general light distribution around the space. Fitting-room lighting is very important – this is where many sales are made.”

Shop of horrorS (cont)

retail supplement BRE RETaIl lIgHTINg guIdE