EDEKA Equips Its Latest Store Entirely with Advanced LED Technologies

LED manufacturer NICHIA is a technology leader in highly efficient human centric lighting and the replication of natural light. Its innovative LED technologies are increasingly being used in retail to push the shopping experience to the next level. The most recent project is an EDEKA store in Wiesbaden-Sonnenberg, Germany, which opened its doors in May and is equipped with a lighting solution entirely based on NICHIA technology.

The owners of the store engaged Prof. Dipl.-Phys. Werner Lorke and his interdisciplinary team of experts to plan and implement the project. As part of his consulting work with iO Interdisziplinäre Objekte, the physicist focuses on product and exhibition design and brings together the fields of architecture, technology, and art. He was tasked with developing and employing a lighting concept that presents the store’s merchandise in the best possible way and creates a positive shopping experience for the customer. To do this, he selected NICHIA's ‘Light so Good' technologies, which significantly enhance the quality of light: 2-in-1 tunable white, Optisolis, and Vitasolis.

For the Wiesbaden-Sonnenberg project, Lorke drew, among other things, on the experience he had already gained over several years with another EDEKA branch in Wiesbaden. Above average sales figures in this store prove that the influence of light on people is enormous. Thus, lighting generally represents a great opportunity for retailers. "We are proud to say that all our activities here, in terms of introducing new illumination, have more than paid for themselves within a few months," he emphasizes. "Based on this experience, our advice to retailers, in general, is to look at lighting as a sales tool rather than as an expense."  

In the confectionery department, for example, a solution with adjustable color temperature has proven successful. Thanks to 2-in-1 tunable white LED and COB, it is possible to create good contrast between the merchandise on display and the aisles, as well as to install dynamic lighting in which the color temperature changes throughout the day. Optisolis products are ideal for illuminating goods such as fruit and vegetables. They can be used to produce a light spectrum that comes closest to that of the sun, while at the same time UV emission is essentially non-existent. As a result, it has a positive effect on perishable goods while fruit and vegetables shine in the best possible light. Vitasolis provides brilliant white light and a wide wavelength spectrum for pleasant illumination. A strong cyan component compared to other products has a positive effect on the human circadian rhythm. Aisles illuminated with Vitasolis in combination with Optisolis product provide shoppers with an image that is inspiring and very pleasant – a solution ideally suited, for example, in the dairy section. High CRI Optisolis illuminating the dairy products presents the merchandise more naturally while the natural white light coming from Vitasolis is suitable for illuminating the aisle. Lorke applies Vitasolis for two reasons: one, it allows for a good contrast between space and merchandise thanks to its broad spectrum and low contents of yellow spectrum. Two, its quality of light is extremely easy on the eye. As such, the technology also perfectly meets the needs of any counter areas. Here, the comfortable lighting makes waiting times more pleasant for visitors. A total of around 500 luminaires from all three 'Light so Good' technologies have been installed at EDEKA in Wiesbaden-Sonnenberg.

"Ultimately, each product group in the store requires its own lighting concept," states Lorke. "The secret lies in the optimal mix of color temperature, color spectrum, and contrast. At the moment, I don't see any alternative on the market to NICHIA products for achieving such a high quality of light as we have managed to create here."