Grocery store lighting serves the dual purpose of increasing workspace functionality for store employees and creating a favourable shopping experience for customers. Different sections of the store require certain minimum thresholds of illumination. For example, light levels for displays and shelves should have higher visibility and allow customers to discern the details between competing product offerings. Meanwhile, out-of-customer-view areas like backroom storage do not share the same visibility requirements and can be more sparsely lit. A mix of best practices and workplace regulations should guide the overall development of the lighting design. Technical considerations of effective supermarket lighting design are best discussed with experienced professionals.
Colour Rendering Index (CRI) is the measurement of a light source’s ability to accurately portray different colours and is measured on a scale from 0 – 100 with 100 indicating the highest levels of colour accuracy. A high CRI enhances areas like the fresh produce section (as discussed above) where vibrant colours of foods on display can influence and entice the customer to buy more. Fluorescent lighting, as the traditional choice of supermarket use, addresses brightness requirements but does little to advertise the vibrancy of fresh products because this type of lighting typically has a low CRI in addition to suffering from the unwanted issue of flicker. All of LED World’s lighting fixtures have a CRI of 85 or higher.
Important Areas Within Supermarket
The Register
As the place of detail-oriented tasks such as money exchange, customer interaction, and bagging of purchased goods, the register and check-out areas require high visibility. This is an area where employee and customer considerations converge with comfort for both being important. Employees will be more comfortable in an adequately illuminated space that allows them to simultaneously serve customers and perform the functions of operating the register. Light levels that are too low can cause eye strain to staff members over longer periods of time. For the customer, use of warm white lighting is more likely to make them feel comfortable – in comparison to cool white which evokes a more clinical feeling.
Aisles
Aisles occupy the largest amount of floor space in a grocery store and lighting for these areas needs to account for product visibility as well as customer navigation within the space. The selected lighting should create a clear view of the pathway, evenly illuminate both sides of the display shelves while avoiding shadows, and be bright enough to allow customers to read small details on product packaging.
Backroom
While customers will not see backroom areas, it is still an important space as workers need to be able to perform necessary tasks. In this regard, practicality is of higher importance than overall aesthetics of the lighting chosen and should meet the Building Code of Australia regulations.
Fresh Produce Area
Fresh produce areas are an important revenue-generating section of the grocery store so it is important to feature this space in a positive way. Customers tend to buy fresh produce more than once a week due to the perishable nature of the goods. High product margins on fresh produce is balanced by a shorter shelf-life of these items. The urgency to sell the product requires attention to making it look as attractive as possible but also ensure confidence in customers that they are getting exactly what they want. Vibrant colors will entice people to take a closer look at the offering but ultimately a shopper will inspect for the perfect piece of fruit or vegetable. It is important that they can easily look for marks or blemishes on the produce. A combination of track lighting and suspended pendant lighting (as seen in the Linear Lighting Series) can accomplish the desired results for this area.
Do you have an upcoming project?
Suitable Products
30W Track Light
40W Track Light
Suspended Linear Light
Additional Services
Supermarket Lighting Design
LED World specialises in supermarket lighting design for both new stores and retrofitting of existing stores. Our team is experienced at communicating with shopfitters, architects and engineers to achieve optimal results for any project. With our expertise we can design a plan that adheres to Building Code of Australia regulations for commercial spaces and accomplishes the functionality and aesthetics you are after.
Supermarket Lighting Installation
If you are interested in LED World lighting design services but are looking for an electrical contractor who can carry out quality work, we can introduce you to our list of trusted partners in your area. We have a directory of contractors in each state throughout Australia who have the qualifications and competencies to deliver a successful result.
Call LED World or email us to discuss your grocery store & supermarket lighting design needs.
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