Shops and specialised stores

Prestige is at the centre of the sales strategy of high-end shops and specialised stores. Presenting, showcasing, experiencing and inspiration are the core topics.

In shops, specialised stores and  department stores with higher-level merchandise, requirements for room and lighting design are therefore different from those of supermarkets:

  • showcasing the retail space,

  • inspiring customers,

  • displaying merchandise in a representational fashion,

  • turning the retail space into an experience, and

  • enhancing the prestige of customers and providers.

Figure 3.146: Strategy of a supermarket

Figure 3.145: Strategy of a shop or specialised store

Shop lighting primarily consists of basic lighting of horizontal and vertical surfaces in combination with an additional layer of accent lighting. This creates scenes for different product presentations. Areas of elevated illuminance,, good to excellent colour rendering of light sources, selective or planar light with dynamic changes in level or light colour (dimmable floodlights with colour filters or LED light with slowly changing colours), the right mixture of light and shadows but also the danger of fading are important criteria for shop lighting.

Usually, shop lighting is showcase lighting intended to draw customers into the saleroom and to make their stay as pleasant as possible so they take their time looking around. "Light attracts people", "Light helps advertise", "Light promotes sales", and "The feet will follow where the eyes lead" are slogans which determine this light showcasing.