Benefits of LED Lighting in Grocery Store

Imagine if a grocery store manager could flick a switch and see more products fly off the supermarket shelves. That’s the same dream brand managers have when they invest time and energy in creating the most attractive packaging possible. 

The type of lighting you select for your grocery store is important. When food looks attractive and appetising, shoppers want to buy them. When you have the best lighting possible, you can save energy and money, and in addition provide your customers with an enjoyable shopping experience. More and more grocery stores are finding the benefits of using LED lighting over fluorescent lighting. If you’re a grocery store retailer, here are some reasons to use LED lighting, as well as some considerations to make.

Grocery stores need to provide a pleasant shopping experience to boost sales and make customers return. Fluorescent lighting has been the typical choice for this type of businesses. However, fluorescent bulbs can flicker, buzz, or output low-quality light which can impact your shopper’s experience making them complain, leave without buying or worse, not come back. By switching to LED lighting, you will not only save on energy bills but provide the best experience for your customers.

Let’s take a look at more benefits of using LED lights in your grocery store.

Grocery stores use electrical energy in a variety of ways such as Water Heating, Cooking, Office Equipment, Cooling and Heating, Lighting and Refrigeration. A standard 40,000 square foot grocery store can spend $20,000 per month on energy or over $230,000 annually. The two biggest areas for electrical energy usage are refrigeration at 57% and lighting at 23%, the two-combined account for 80% of the total energy usage. If you break out those costs its $11,400 for refrigeration and $4,600 for lighting monthly. To maintain competitiveness and keep your margins up, it takes dedication, knowledge and determination to keep a Grocery Store operating.

LED lighting improves the colour of foods.

LEDs are the best lighting option, allowing colours to shine true. LED lighting in grocery stores makes food appear more appetising. Under dim fluorescent lighting, meat and produce look darker and less appealing when compared to food under LEDs.

Produce—Fruits and vegetables look better under LED lighting. To draw additional attention on certain types of produce, use special optics that can enhance the colour spectrum of fresh foods even more. On the other hand, LED lightening doesn’t have this effect. In fact, sometimes the light output from LED lighting actually gets better in a cold setting.

Bye Bye Bacteria

LED lights have proven to help kill bacteria, whether they are installed in refrigerators or over the produce aisle at the grocery store. According to an NUS study done in July 2015, LED lights on the blue spectrum work best to kill off pathogens in colder temperatures and acidic conditions. But how does LED lighting kill off bacteria? Bacteria cells have light sensitive compounds that absorb light. Exposing bacteria cells to blue LED lighting can generate a response in the cells that will eventually cause the cells to die, helping keep produce and meat fresher longer.

Cold Food Storage

Researchers at the University of Missouri conducted an experiment on ground hamburger patties. Each batch of patties was placed under different lighting. One group was lit under fluorescent bulbs, another was left in complete darkness, and one batch was lit by LEDs. The experiment focused on how rapidly the pretty red patties lost that rosy consumer friendly hue and began transforming into a not so fresh looking grey or brown. Results conveyed that complete darkness is best for meat retaining its cherry red colour, but LED lighting extended the shelf life of patties three to four days compared to fluorescent lighting, which fared the worst in the experiment. This is likely due to LEDs producing little to no heat or ultra-violet (UV) light. 

Considerations

• An LED Retrofit Produces Cost Savings:
• The U.S. Department of Energy indicates that by having LED vs fluorescent shop lights owners will save between 25 percent and 75 percent in electricity costs. LED experts indicate that supermarkets will save 60 to 76 percent on their related electricity costs through reduced energy costs, refrigerated cases, and LED displays that result in driving up revenue by stimulating customer engagement.
• Increased light: LED lights shine 35% brighter so the items in your grocery store will look more appealing. When items look more appealing customers are more likely to buy them.
• Experience: customers will take notice of the updated lighting. The freezer isle will get a makeover just by updating your lighting.
• Profit: when customers can better see the product that they are looking at, they are more likely to buy it. When the lighting makes, your items look better, your sales will increase. Customers are more likely to buy an item that looks better.

Overall, a clean, bright, cheerful shopping experience makes customers return to your store, increases satisfaction, and helps fill baskets while saving on energy bills. Whether you need to upgrade your grocery store lighting or install a new electrical system, , any light that can make radishes look like rubies is at least worth looking into.

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