For more information on Promolux LED lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Great food display tactics and other store management strategies lead to huge returns in a grocery store business. The positioning of the products’ shelves and the arrangement of each product category will either invite customers to buy or put them off. Grocery stores sell essential products required by the target customers on a regular basis. Therefore, for you to succeed in a grocery business, you must maintain consistency in terms of product quality, availability and freshness. If any of these three elements is missing in your grocery store, losses are inevitable. By maintaining these three elements you are likely to win new customers in your store while keeping the old customers coming back for more products. However, you need to avoid the following common mistakes, in order to make constant profits.

Lack of marketing strategies

Lack of proper marketing strategies can easily drive you out of the grocery store business. Marketing strategies promote the products on sale in your store, wooing customers to buy more. You can promote the products with a wide profit margin by placing them on offer and making sure that they are placed in a corner well illumined with LEDs. For example, you can indicate on the price tag of a specific product that when one buys two of the item, they will get one essential item free. In this case, you will be inviting more impulse buying.

Poor product display

Poor product display is a mistake that leads to huge losses in grocery businesses. Poorly displayed products are difficult for customers to find leading to decreased sales. Before opening a grocery store, it is advisable to invest in product display accessories such as shelves, refrigerators and bins. Place every product category in its own place to avoid confusion. For example, have a designated area for fruits, vegetables, dairy items and baked goods. Then, arrange the items in attractive patterns and use Promolux LED display case lighting to make the products prominent. Ensure that the most essential products such as milk and bread are displayed in a visible but furthest corner of the store. However, consider frequent product rotation to make customers aware of the existence of different products in your store.

Poor lighting system

Installing a poor lighting system can break your grocery business due to high maintenance cost. Also, poor lighting makes displayed products less visible while causing premature decay in highly perishable products. To avoid this mistake, the installation of LED grocery lighting system is highly recommended for enhanced product visibility, reduced energy consumption with low maintenance cost and prolonged product shelf life.

Overstocking and under-stocking

Availability of the products is essential in a grocery store business as it builds a sense of consistency in regular customers. However, lack of proper planning and stock management strategies may result in overstocking of products resulting to increased spoils. On the other hand, this may lead to under-stocking leading to running out of stock prematurely and leaving your customers stranded. Therefore, make a timely product ordering schedule while stocking the right amount of products to be sold within a given period of time. Promote product shelf life extension using a Promolux LED lighting system in your store.

For more information on Promolux lighting solutions for retailers or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Appropriately lighting the display cases in a supermarket is one of the most challenging tasks managers face. However, grocery stores are more than just places to buy food. Now they are destinations for pharmacy, floral, bakery, and banking needs. Proper display case lighting may not seem like a deal breaker, but if you do not make careful lighting decisions, your business may suffer as a result. Considering cost, technology, health codes, and environment all have one thing in common: lighting.

Cost

Supermarket lighting carries some of the highest cost to build and maintain in the retail industry. This means that grocery stores need comprehensive solutions including good values in engineering, power control systems, and more. These retail lighting solutions must keep time and money in mind, as well as food safety. Smart design concepts and best practices can improve upfront cost and total cost of ownership. Determine which lighting styles and types are best for you. Are you trying to create a spotlight, showcase, overhead lighting, or specific feel? Keep this in mind when analyzing cost of your lighting.

Technology

It is well known that commercial lighting contributes to increased operational costs within supermarkets. With electricity and maintenance eating into most of the expense, technology can help shave dollars off of this cost. Using modern technology, grocers can expect to save up to 70% in energy costs while also lowering overall store maintenance costs. Lighting controls can deliver huge savings and upgrade the functionality of your store.

Health codes

Grocery stores must ensure that they meet a variety of health codes. An area where this is seen frequently is in the meat department. Have you stopped to think how your lighting might affect the products in this area? If not thought through carefully, inferior meat display case lighting will negatively affect time sensitive produce. Exposing such products to additional and unnecessary heat given off by improper lighting shortens its shelf life and reduces its appeal to shoppers. Unfortunately, cheap display case lighting is often installed at the sacrifice of the products. Using low radiation light in all refrigerated display cases will reduce the amount of heat and damaging ultraviolet radiation that enters them. Balanced spectrum lamps used in produce displays can also contribute to extended shelf life of fruits and vegetables as well as show off their true and vibrant colors.

Appealing to customers

It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Do your products stack up to that saying? If not, you may be using the incorrect lighting. Using white light for fish and seafood may help this produce look fresher.  Create a warm, mellow feel with specific lighting by fresh fruits and vegetables to enable shoppers to relax and take their time. Create showcases that inspire shoppers to take a second look, and make sure that meats appear fresh and juicy in their displays.

When creating your lighting design, think through each challenge. Making sure your grocery store is appealing to customers, meets health codes, has appropriate technology, and is cost-effective all comes back to one thing: lighting. Make sure you don’t overlook such a seemingly small detail.

For more information on Promolux display case lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Display tactics are essential in making specific foods visually attractive to customers for increased sales of the commodities. Installing a proper, food safe lighting system plays an important role in enhancing the appearance of the products while increasing their shelf life. Regular attention to your product displays should be performed in order to identify slow moving items and moving them to a strategic position to attract customer’s attention. The prices should be well marked to eliminate vagueness and confusion. Below are viable tips for specific food displays.

Fruit and vegetable display

Fruits and vegetables should be displayed in a cool section to keep them fresh. Fresh leafy vegetables should be spread to display their fresh green leaves. Also, brightly colored vegetables should be alternated with the dull colored ones to make them more visible. For example, you can place the broccoli next to green leafy vegetables, followed by cauliflower and then brightly colored carrots. In the fruits section, place the small sized fruits such berries in a wide shallow dish and arrange them attractively. You can place the fruits with some fresh leaves to create a fresh natural appearance that entices the customer. For the bigger fruits such as oranges and apples, arrange them using pyramid or any other attractive patterns. Remember to install appropriate produce display lighting to make the fruits and vegetables to appear more attractive and fresh.

Meat and seafood display

Meat and seafood should be displayed in a refrigerated display case. Remember that these are highly perishable products hence maximum care should be taken when displaying them. Display fresh seafood in a fish net wrapped refrigerator bin, to create a sense of natural fresh fish catch in the customers. Install seafood display case lighting to increase freshness window for the fish. Prepare the section for the fresh red meat partitioned with green lines. Green lines contrast the red color of the meat, making it more prominent from outside. Food safe grocery store meat display case lighting is essential if you want your meats to look vibrant and fresh, in addition to prolonging their shelf life.

Bread and cookie display

Designate a section for bread, cakes and cookies. Bread is a commodity that is regularly purchased alongside milk and eggs. Therefore, have a section for bread next to milk and eggs for easy picking by the customers. Then, you can have the section for cookies and other flies near the bread section. It is a great idea to have some shelves for themed display of cakes and cookies. In this case, you can have a cakes section for seasonal celebrations such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter and other major celebrations. Also, you can consider having a section for birthday and wedding cakes. To complete bread and cookies, install proper bakery display case lighting that enhances the visual appeal of your baked goods, while keeping them fresh for longer periods of time.

For more information on Promolux food safe lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Grocery store owners: stop and ask yourself one simple question. Are you using the best food display lighting in the industry? If not, then you may be wasting money and your time sensitive products are most likely not lasting as long as they could be! Using the correct food display lighting can help you illuminate your products and ensure that they stay fresh as long as possible.

Visual presentation

Many of the inferior display case lighting products on the market today enhance some colors at the expense of others. However, Promolux lighting brings out the full, natural range of color in merchandise, allowing a balance between color and clarity without distortion or artificial coloring. Selecting lamps that offer the highest quality color rendering is a wise choice for any grocery store. This will ensure that your products look and stay fresh, which will ultimately increase profits and customer satisfaction simultaneously.

Optimal lighting

The visual impact lighting makes on your store goes further than you think. Most lamps change product color due to the fact that they are skewed toward the yellow and green end of the color spectrum. Although these lights offer strong illumination, the trade off is a lack of vibrant color and extended shelf life in your refrigerated display case. Utilizing an optimal lighting source like Promolux lamps will allow you to showcase food’s natural colors. Selecting the correct lighting can also protect fresh produce and meat products from the harmful radiation emitted by inferior lighting. This means that perishable items can last up to 50% longer and reduce waste in meat, seafood, deli, bakery, produce, and floral departments.

Longer lasting products

Incorrect display lighting can drastically shorten the shelf life of time sensitive produce. Understanding how lighting can damage fresh merchandise is the first step in correcting this problem. Choose bulbs that will not hasten discoloring, drying, and loss of freshness in produce to combat this problem. It is well known that most fluorescent lighting produces radiation that may damage your products and promote bacterial growth. New lighting choices can have up to 86% lower radiation than regular lamps, translating into extended shelf life for time sensitive foods.

Bottom line

All grocers hope to maximize profit and minimize waste, that’s an indisputable fact. Using Promolux food safe lighting to achieve that goal is a simple way to invest in more than just the products that are on display. Using the right lighting to showcase these products can result in improved sales and increased food safety. The presentation of your meats and produce will stand out with the correct lighting. Using bulbs that do not promote shrinkage and bacteria growth will result in extended shelf life and greater sales opportunities. The correct lighting can assist in reducing losses as a result of sensitive product waste.

Creating an inviting environment is not the only thing grocery store lighting can be used for. Achieving greater sales and lengthening the shelf life of time sensitive products are two ways the right lighting can help your business. Design a visual impact with optimal lighting that will improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

For more information on Promolux LED lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Selecting the best retail display lighting for each food category is essential to getting the perfect color, warmth and appeal for each food type, whether it is packaged or fresh. Choosing lights that are custom designed to create dramatic visual impact in each department can improve the flow and overall feel of your store.

Meat section

The meat department is the cornerstone of every grocery store. Thus, the fresh meat display case should include an appealing, colorful presentation using high color definition lighting. This will ensure that the meat looks naturally fresh and high quality. Consider Promolux LED lighting for fresh meat, as this style of lighting emits less heat than its fluorescent counterpart. In addition to helping meat stay fresh, LED lighting brings out the most vivid colors in meats, appealing to visual customers.

Dairy section

This department seeks a balance between vibrant color and a sense of natural elements. From yogurts to deserts, the dairy department is a diverse collection of shapes, colors, and textures. For cases with a variety of tiers, shelf and rail lighting can create a dazzling display. Specialty produce requires warm-white canopy lighting that will play up the vibrant colors of such products. Select a lighting design that spreads high-quality light all the way across the case. This will ensure that your dairy display case lighting provides a stunning visual impact. For lighting that appears invisible, choose vertical door lighting that still promises to deliver uniform brightness to the display. Be careful to choose lighting that safely illuminates dairy products without impacting their nutritional integrity. Such products are very sensitive to heat and light, and the wrong lighting choice may negatively affect the flavor of your produce.

Bakery section

Warmth and happiness, childhood memories, creamy delicacies come to mind when entering the bakery. This is another section that requires a balanced spectrum light to give breads and cakes that irresistible “just-baked” look. The use of a diffuser over the light can help minimize reflections and glare when choosing proper bakery display case lighting.

Floral section

Selecting an item from the floral department requires care and consideration, as customers are choosing something that they hope to make a statement with. Such products require warm light and high color accentuation to show off the vibrant colors of nature’s beauty: flowers. Floral display case lighting should be selected based on its ability to deliver a phenomenal visual impact. Keep in mind that impulsive purchases account for a large portion of grocery store sales, and the floral department can help contribute to this. Be careful to select lighting that isn’t too bright, as this will cause fresh flowers to wilt more quickly than they naturally would. Using a perfectly even warm white light will help bring the floral department to life and catch customer’s eye from across the store.

Achieving the best color, warmth, and appeal for each display can be accomplished through specialty lighting for grocery store displays such as that developed by Promolux. Work towards creating the desired lighting impact in each department to reach your goals. Paying attention to quality retail display lighting in the meat, dairy, bakery, and floral sections is essential.

For more information on Promolux LED lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

Superior grocery store lighting is highly effective in preventing shrinkage in grocery stores. Shrinkage mostly occurs when the perishable products decay, becoming inedible. This leads to a huge loss incurred by the store owner as well as a negative impact on the environment. Before venturing into a grocery store business, it is advisable to have a practical plan of preventing shrinkage. Also, have a policy that gives your employees power to take action once the products start showing signs of decay. This helps in averting the wastage though losses may still be incurred. Shrinkage in grocery stores can be prevented through the following practical measures.

Place frequent low quantities

Food waste in grocery stores may be caused by product overstocking. In this case, the quantity of perishable foods in stock is higher than the consumption rate by the target consumers. This simply means that some of the products will reach their sell by date while still on the shelves and start decaying. Placing frequent orders for products in low quantities can help prevent waste as a result of overstocking. For this to be effective without inconveniencing your customers, it is important to identify a reliable supplier who can deliver items within the shortest time possible.

Invest in quality refrigerators

Refrigerators are effective in keeping perishable food substances fresh for an extended period of time. Refrigerators in grocery stores are best for meat, dairy, seafood and other highly perishable products. Investing in quality refrigerators with a huge carrying capacity is important in keeping fresh adequate amount of products enough to be sold out within a considerable period of time. To reinforce the function of the refrigerators, consider installing an LED lighting system as they emit less heat, hence reduced temperatures. This keeps products fresh for a prolonged period of time.

Constant stock monitoring

Stock monitoring should be a daily routine in a grocery store. Constant stock monitoring helps in identifying early signs of product decay and taking necessary steps to avert the loss. The displayed perishable products should be monitored at least twice in a day, that is morning and evening. Any product such as a fruit or vegetables with signs of decay should be separated from others. Also, products with reduced freshness identified during monitoring should be put on offer for quick low or no profit sales to prevent waste. Installation of LED display lighting in the store provides a clear view of each product, and allows for a successful and easy monitoring process.

Energy efficient lighting system

Installation of an energy efficient lighting system in the grocery store plays a huge role in preventing shrinkage. Promolux energy efficient LED lighting provides great performance in making displayed products eye-catching for increased sales that help in clearing the stock. In addition, the lights emit less heat that reduces the cooling load while keeping the temperatures low. This inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi responsible for the decay process in food. Shrinkage in a grocery store can be prevented by promoting product shelf life extension using Promolux LED lights.

For more information on Promolux food safe lighting or to request a quote, click on the links to the right.

If you are planning on establishing your own grocery store, then you must at first obtain concrete understanding of the connection between light and food toxicity. Almost every kind of food in the world is directly exposed to light in one way or the other. Some foods are left under the open sun, while other  absorb light from artificial man made sources during processing, packaging, storage, shipping and marketing.

The effects of direct exposure to light

Many retailers are not fully aware of the threat that direct exposure to lighting poses. In fact, when foods are exposed to excessive light, the quality of the food deteriorates. This results in the food becoming discolored, developing off flavors or losing its nutrients. Any one of these unpleasant and unwanted effects of light exposure can jeopardize the business of a food retailer. In other words, food retailers who are not doing enough to prevent photodegradation of food are losing out financially.

Factors affecting the light sensitivity of foods

The light sensitivity of food refers to how likely it is to be adversely affected by light when directly exposed to a natural or artificial light source. There are many factors which influence the light sensitivity of food. Here are some of the main factors that you should be aware of:

• The duration of exposure to light
• The distance between the light source and the food
• The strength of the light and the type of light that is being emitted
• The oxygen concentration of the food
• The temperature

Light induced changes

There are two ways in which light induced changes take place in food. The first process involves the absorption of light by a component of the food that directly undergoes a chemical reaction, which leads to the photodegradation of food. In the second process, the presence of light causes one component of the food to trigger a chemical reaction in another component of the food. Much like the first process, the second process can also result in the deterioration of food.

Not all types of light affect food

Now that you have learned about the harmful effects that inferior food display lighting can have on your perishable goods, you might be planning to get rid of food display cases altogether. That is no solution to solving the problem of photo degradation of food.

You need to realize that not all types of light are harmful for your food. For example, Promolux food safe lighting is a unique variant of a specialized merchandising lamp that can be used for meat display lighting, deli display case lighting, bakery display case lighting and any other form of retail food lighting.

Food safe lighting will not deteriorate the quality of your food. It will not result in photodegradation and will not cause a reduction in the shelf life of food. In fact, you can achieve shelf life extension using Promolux food safe lighting.