ThinkLite helps Massachusetts liquor stores dramatically reduce lighting costs with LED lighting retrofits

Most liquor stores face the same challenges that all small retailers encounter today. Their retail space is generally lit with fluorescent tubes of varying age and light quality. said Chris McDonald, ThinkLite Lighting Luminary and retail specialist. This results inuneven and poorly lit space in an environment where, in contrast, well lit shelves canreally propel a business.

Lighting quality is not the only challenge that liquor stores face.
With very tight profit margins, operators must look to cutting costs in order to succeed.

ThinkLite offers a multi -staged value proposition that more and more liquor storeoperators are embracing:

• Retrofitting from traditional fluorescent lamps to highly efficient ThinkLite LED tubes can immediately reduce lighting costs by up to 60%
• A retrofit means changing the lamp only, not the entire fixture. This eliminates the cost for new fixtures, dramatically reduces labor expense and there is no need to discard old fixtures..
• ThinkLite LED lamps last up to ten years, eliminating the labor cost associatedwith replacing old fluorescent lamps and ballasts.
• ThinkLite LED tubes deliver 180 lumens per watt (essentially the light level of a brand new fluorescent) with only 5% depreciation over a ten-year lifespan.
• ThinkLite LED lamps are rated at 93+CRI (color rendering index). CRI is especially important in any retail applicati on as the higher the CRI, the truer the representation of the merchandise, bottles and packaging color, making the retail environment vibrant and appealing.
• The small business owners pay for the solution with 24 monthly payments at no interest. With the help of the MASSAVE program, this monthly payment is directly added on the liquor stores electric bill, making it a seamless and easy investment for the customer.

Chris recently spearheaded ThinkLite LED retrofits for three independent liquor stores, plus a leading regional chain, with compelling outcomes for each.

At Palumbo Liquors in Medfi eld MA, Richard the owner immediately saw the value in going with ThinkLite. We are open long hours, seven days a week and for a small business, we consume a lot of electricity. When we discovered that our lighting costs would be reduced over 50%, it was really an easy decision for us to go with ThinkLite. But Chris and his team really came through with cash rebates from the utility that covered the majority of the cost for the retrofi t. That gave us a total projected payback in just over a year. Plus, every time we turn on the lights, we save approximately 55% on our monthly lighting cost. Thats savings we will enjoy month after month and beyond.

ThinkLite replaced existing 32 watt T8 fl uorescent tubes with 12 watt ThinkLite LED T8 cutting monthly electric consumption from 4058 kWh to 1702 kWh with annual savings of approximately $4,800. For a small business, that is a signifi cant positive impact to the bottom line.

Savings like that compelled Auburndale Wine and Spirits to retrofi t to ThinkLite LED. Bill, the store manager worked with Chris and the ThinkLite team to transform this busy retail location. We were pleased that customers definitely noticed the change in lighting. The increased light levels made products easier to see and really enhanced theirshelf appeal. Thanks to ThinkLite, the installation process was quick and easy and now the store has a clean, fresh look.

For many retail establishments and liquor stores specifically, the classic light fixture holds 32 watt T8 fluorescent bulbs. By keeping the same fixtures and retrofitting to ThinkLite 12 watt LED T8 bulbs, Auburndale Wine and Spirits will save over 24,000 kWh per year, currently over $4000. Whats more, going ThinkLite is also going green and this retrofi t
alone resulted in the equivalent of removing three cars from the road, or nearly 37,000 pounds of CO2 per year!

In Ashland MA, Sunnyside Liquors serve the local clientele with professional service and great selection. However, the store was suffering with a dimly lit space. When Chris and the ThinkLite team completed the retrofi t of this busy store, the transformation was remarkable. The change was immediately noticeable, said Romeo, a store employee, and
customers commented on how great it looked in the store. The lights make all the merchandise look better and they have even increased store traffic.

Finally, ThinkLite had the pleasure to work with Kappys Liquors, a regional chain with seven locations. ThinkLite retrofit the standard T8 32W tubes to ThinkLites 12W LED resulting in a greater that 60% wattage reduction and average project payback of a mere 1.5 years. Scott Moore, Kappys owner was very pleased with both the ThinkLite product and service, Working with ThinkLite has been a great experience. The quality of service has been exceptional, but more importantly the quality of the product has exceeded my expectations.

Total Retail, an online source for retail content provides a compelling perspective for the use of LED lighting within any retail environment.

LED lighting provides retailers with the opportunity to achieve energy and cost savings while also boosting the customer experience. For example, if a liquor store swapped its traditional lighting products in the retail area, cold storage area and employee back room for LED products, the business could reduce its carbon footprint by 88,000 pounds a year, saving $11,000 annually in energy costs.*

Chris McDonald concludes, Liquor store operators are very receptive to the ThinkLite value proposition. Not only are we providing them significant savings, but aesthetically,there really is no better way for a liquor store to present its merchandise and provide an exceptional shopping experience.

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