Dec 10 2012
Lighting can play a crucial role in winning over savvy consumers beyond just illuminating product for sale.
It can create an inviting environment to draw people into and throughout the store, showcase the vibrant colors in a blouse to create purchasing desire, focus attention on an important profit-driving item for sale and serve as a creative wayfinding technique that enhances the shopper's experience. Recognizing the impact lighting can have on forward thinking retailers, North American lighting leader OSRAM SYLVANIA unveiled today the U DESIGN Lighting Experience Center at its Winchester, Kentucky manufacturing plant, where retail lighting designers can customize an LED lighting solution that meets their unique design requirements and helps increase sales and profits.
At the U DESIGN Center, retailers can vary beam spread, color temperature, color rendering, optics and drivers and review the ROI for their specific application, comparing LED versus traditional lighting technologies. Depending on their specific requirements, building blocks of components are selected to create a unique lamp for their ambient or accent lighting needs. After selection of components, OSRAM SYLVANIA will build the specified product at the Winchester plant and ship directly to the retailer for evaluation in their installation. Retail lighting designers can also see how the LED solutions are assembled and quality tested to ensure reliable performance at the Winchester plant, which has been in operation since 1953 and has a current staff with over 363 years of combined engineering experience.
"Retailers not only want to present their merchandise in the most attractive way but also create a unique experience for their customers so they become repeat shoppers. Lighting can help meet those goals, but generic options do not help a retailer differentiate themselves from the competition," said Ellen Sizemore, product group marketing manager, OSRAM SYLVANIA. "At the U DESIGN Lighting Experience Center, retailers can custom design lamps with us that meet the performance criteria, such as provide a specific color temperature or beam pattern, while balancing energy and maintenance challenges at the same time. We are proud to work with retailers to help them maximize the impact of their locations."
"There has been a lot of noise about LED lighting for the retail industry, and it can be a little overwhelming," said Chris Trinckler, director of store design. "Visiting the Winchester plant with other members of my purchasing team was invaluable as it helped demonstrate the real-world benefit of LEDs. The tour also helped educate the group on the intricacies of selecting the best lighting for a retail installation and the importance of working with a partner like OSRAM SYLVANIA who is able to provide a customized solution that meets our particular need."
"When I viewed the prototype of the U DESIGN Center and toured the Winchester manufacturing plant, I was impressed with how committed OSRAM SYLVANIA is to meeting the lighting needs of retailers," said Amy Laughead-Riese, principal of 37 Volts Light Studio. "As a lighting designer for retail customers, I appreciate being able to have customized lighting solutions assembled here in the US that are ideal for specific retail applications. Seeing the Winchester center and plant has opened the door for further conversations about the value of OSRAM SYLVANIA LED lighting in retail locations."
Key features & benefits of OSRAM SYLVANIA LED PAR Lamps include:
- Assembled in USA
- Typical 89 CRI
- Excellent color quality with a 2-step MacAdam ellipse
- No warm up time, instant on with full light output and stable color
- Last up to 20 times longer than comparable PAR lamps
- Reduces energy consumption up to 80 percent
- UV and IR free
- RoHS compliant
- Dimmable to 10%
- Mercury and lead free
- Long life - up to 50,000 hours (L70)
- Suitable for damp locations
OSRAM SYLVANIA also created the U DESIGN mobile unit that can travel to retail locations to compare LED versus traditional lighting technologies. Retailers interested in scheduling an appointment at the U DESIGN Lighting Experience Center, or arranging for the U DESIGN mobile unit to visit their location, can call their local OSRAM SYLVANIA sales representative.