Welcome to Heradise!

ARF-LEDs in the spotlight at Flagship store in Shanghai

2011-06-23T13:50:00.006-04:00

ARF-LEDs are the perfect fit for this high end merchandise.

They give an equivalent light output to 20 Watt Halogen spotlights

using only 3 Watts!

Since there is virtually no heat emission and no ultraviolet radiation,

the products will not get damaged.

In the past, stores such as this one would end up throwing away purses and shoes every month due to scorching from the heat of Halogens and fading from the ultraviolet radiation. Not to mention the costly upkeep for maintenance with changing bulbs and cost of energy!

How to Install Cabinet Lighting

2011-06-22T14:42:00.000-04:00

This video shows how easy it is to install Hera LED lighting to cabinets.
If she can do, I am sure you can too!

You wouldn't get dressed in the dark, so why consider having products on the shelf in the dark?

2011-06-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

A recent analysis of retail environments at Perimeter Mall in Atlanta supports the perspective that retailers should be reconsidering lighting plans. The findings indicate that less ceiling lighting may be the proper course. Twenty different venues were visited. What was discovered was that on average, retailers have twice as many foot-candles on the floor as they do highlighting the product on the third shelf.

Here is a perfect example of why bringing lighting closer to the merchandise is so effective - Not to mention the energy regulations of 1. 5 W per sq. ft in the ceiling. The fact is-ceiling lights just do not do the job. Or at least not quite as effectively as display lighting installed directly into the shelving.

CAUTION!

Objects on shelf are darker than they appear!

27.4 footcandles

These products are literally left "in the dark".
If you were a customer in this store, there is
nothing drawing your eye to the merchandise.

44.6 footcandles

We took measurements with a light meter to show the difference
between lighitng on the floor and lighting on the store shelves.
There is almost TWICE the amount of footcandles on the floor!

So unless this retail store is selling flooring, why would they even consider illuminating the floor more than the products on the shelf? Your guess is as good as ours. New LED technology with a smaller footprint coupled with energy regulations limiting the amount of lighting coming from the ceiling, bringing lighting closer to eye level is a match made in retail lighting heaven!

Hera's HO-LEDs illuminating the largest ferris wheel in the world!

2011-06-17T15:31:00.001-04:00

At a height of 165m, Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest Giant Observation Wheel and is set to be one of Asia’s biggest tourist attractions.

Singapore Flyer was conceived and designed by Dr. Kisho Kurokawa and DP Architects, Singapore. It held its groundbreaking ceremony in September 2005 and was launched in 2008. It promises more than just a view, but a panorama that captures Marina Bay’s skyline with a glimpse of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia.

Just came across this quote in LD&A from Anne Kustner Haser I wanted to share...

2011-06-16T10:07:00.001-04:00

"Lighting is a silent sales assocaite, selling products without ever needing a lunchbreak. Since the eye is drawn to the brightest objects in the field of view, light, color, sparkle and contrast pique the interest of potential shoppers and draw them into a store they may have had no intention of visiting. Once inside, effective lighting directs the shopper through the store to view featured merchandise and, hopefully, helps inspire enough interest to close the sale."

Planning for More Sustainable Lighting

2011-06-09T12:09:00.005-04:00

Hera's Director of Sales, Brad Stewart, had a very informative article published in the January/February issue of A.R.E's Retail Environments Magazine. For those of you that may have missed it, I want to hit on a few key points that are of solid relevance in retail lighting design and energy costs.

When it comes to the physical and visual perception perception of our environments, we can all agree that lighting plays a major role. This being said, we are at an exciting crossroad in the lighting industry. Strong forces in the world have led us to a tipping point in retail illumination. The cost of energy, new regulations, velocity in the green movement, the evolution of LED technology and the need to increase sales per customer have combined to motivate retailers to consider how new alternatives might have a positive affect on both their top and bottom lines.

Hence, we are witnessing an emerging and significant trend (maybe even a quantum leap) in retail lighting. The most efficient way to articulate the trend is to consider the ratio of lighting solutions positioned above eye level and those that are at or below eye level. In the immediate future, you’re going to see more lighting installed below eye level than ever before.

Energy regulations may be the most significant driver of this trend. For example, Georgia code is changing to use the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 as well as ICC-700 as an optional green building standard. The new rules will become effective January 1, 2011. This code allows as little as 1.5 watts of lighting energy per square foot. In some cases, this simply is not enough light to get the job done. One way retailers are achieving desired light levels and still meeting code compliance is by applying lighting directly into displays.

We have spoken with several people in the lighting industry who concur. Bernie Bauer, Principal and Lead Designer at Integrated Lighting Concepts in West Lake Village, California states “The challenge for retail lighting, given the wave of stringent energy codes, is to maximize the design by using high quality advanced lighting sources and to bring the source closer to the product when appropriate. LED case and shelf lighting meets these objectives when the correct LED products are properly applied.”

Besides code changes, the raw economics of energy costs are coming into play. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average cost per kilowatt (for commercial environments) in the year 2000 was 7.43 cents. By 2009, it had risen to 10.21 cents per kilowatt. This is no longer “chump change” and retailers are certainly paying attention.

A recent analysis of retail environments at Perimeter Mall in Atlanta, supports Barker’s perspective that retailers should be reconsidering lighting plans. The findings indicate that less ceiling lighting may be the proper course. Twenty different venues were visited. What was discovered was that on average:
retailers have twice as many foot-candles on the floor as they do
highlighting the
product on the third shelf.

Lighting on the Floor Average

Lighting on the Shelf Average

53 FC

21.5 FC

This fact flies in the face of scientific research and common sense. A few years ago, Merchant Mechanics published groundbreaking research that analyzed the affects of white light on a display. Among other things, the scientific analysis proved that increasing light levels on the face of product, results in an increase of product uplift by as much as two fold.

Costs
Swivel Spot        $250
Non-swivel spot     $150
Installation           $250
                        $650

Energy Cost / year           $87.12
Lamp change cost /year    $60.00
                                   $147.12

5 year Total Cost            $1385.60
for lighting

Costs
8 x StickLED12   $450
Installation of outlet   $125
   $525

Energy cost / year            $ 18.30
Lamp change cost            $ 00.00
   $ 18.30

5 year Total Cost             $616.50
for Lighting

For more of this article...please click HERE for a direct link to our website

What is "Eye To Product Ratio" you ask?

2011-06-03T13:38:00.003-04:00

While traveling in Toronto this past week, Hera's Director of Sales Brad Stewart visited this Victoria's Secret store. We are absolutely amazed and inspired by the "Eye To Product Ratio" this store shows.

So...what the heck is Eye To Product Ratio anyway? Hera has coined this term to help describe the contrast in a store that helps attract the eye and steer the customer through your retail environment. It is the way a retailer can increase the number of times your eyes are drawn to specific items on the shelves. Think of bugs and a bug zapper, they are automatically drawn to the light, well it is no different with humans. We are intuitively drawn to the light.

"Lighting should represent 50% of the ambiance of any designed space, at what should be 10% of the overall cost". Not only does bringing display lighting closer to the merchandise attract customers to the product, but by reducing the amount of ceiling lights, you not only decrease your costs but you simultaneously increase your sales. I will get more into detail about the costs vs. savings in another blog post, but for the introduction of "Eye To Product Ratio", these pictures should tell the story quite well.

Here's what I'm talking about with the bug zapper.
If your eyeballs could pop out of your head,
they would land directly on these shelves.

By applying lighting directly to these shelves, the customers
eyes are automatically drawn directly to the product. Most retail
environments have so much ceiling lighting
(which is not only a waste of energy)
but it is illuminating the floor instead of what is most important -
the merchandise!

Great view of rows of Hera's SlimLite XL under these shelves.
With new laws regulating the amount of Watt per square foot in commercial evnironments,this is a creative way
(much less the BEST way, if I dont say so myself)
to get around that while increasing sales and lowering your overall costs.

LED Lighting in Hospitality Design

2011-06-02T10:11:00.001-04:00

With Bitac only a little over a month away, I found myself catching up on anything hotel lighting related. I came across this short but sweet "4 Facts of LED Lighting" by Lux Lighting Design and found it to be very informative. Especially from the lighting designers perspective.

Old Way

The Hera Way

According to Doreen Le May Madden, owner and principle designer of Lux Lighting:

1. LED lighting, though it can be more expensive, gives a higher return on investment for hospitality venues because it offers more lumens per watt, lasts longer, can be applied in high volumes, and is easy to maintain?

2. LEDs are most frequently used for exterior, building facade, pathways, step, and interior decorative lighting in hospitality design?

3. LEDs can be applied in a variety of fixtures, even chandeliers?!

4. The human eye is more attracted to beams of light, such as those generated by dramatic LED accent lighting, than diffused incandescent lighting?

Point #4 really hits home with Hera's famous phrase "Eye To Product Ratio". For those of you that are unfamiliar with this term, Eye to Product Ratio is basically the attraction of the eye to a particular product. Extensive research has been done to prove this theory by Merchant Mechanics. You can read part of that research report HERE.

Do you know how many hours per day hotel lights are left on? It is almost as it we are compelled to leave all the lights on when we leave the room, especially the bathroom! Hera has LED products that use only 1W of energy compared to 100W of what many hotels use bedside now. Can you imagine the savings if bulbs were changed from Incandescent to LED? Who cares who leaves the lights on!

New Lighting Products at Hera Lighting!

2011-05-28T11:59:00.000-04:00

At Hera we are continuously striving to bring the market the
latest and most innovative products.

We are pleased to announce the following additions to our product line:

QPad-LED

7.8W Low Profile Surface-Mounted LED Spotlight

This energy-saving surface mounted spotlight has an extremely high

light output. Its ultra-sleek, contemporary design makes it the perfect

choice for retail displays,under cabinets and in bathrooms.

Click here for more information about the QPad-LED

LPad-LED

7.8W Low Profile Surface-Mounted LED Spotlight

Pure & elegant design combined with sophisticated materials and
brilliant color finishes makes this LED spotlight an
incomparable eyecatcher.

Available with an optional touchless IR switch.

Click here for more information about the LPad-LED

ELite-2

Economically Priced, Compact Grounded
Fluorescent Light Fixture

E-Lite2 is ideal for installation in residential applications as
well as lower end ortemporary displays. E-Lite2 features
many SlimLite XL benefits
(connectivity, integrated ballast, small dimensions)

at a lower overall quality level.

Click here for more information about the ELite-2

Magnetic Mounting Clips for Stick2-LED	STICK2/MC/MAGNET
Inline Dimmer Switch for Stick2-LED and TwinStick2-LED	STICK2/SW TWINSTICK2/SW
• 4 position light level
• 100%, 50%, 25%, off

Lighting on the Floor Average	Lighting on the Shelf Average
53 FC	21.5 FC