Having long been advocates of compact fluorescent lamps the introduction of the Philips MASTER PL-H was a natural choice for WHSmith to make for its airside outlet at Manchester Airport
WHSmith has an ongoing commitment to develop and improve its customer shopping experience.With the advent of TV shopping channels and options to buy online, high street stores must provide an exciting and innovative environment in order to tempt consumers from the comfort of their own homes.
A continuous development programme is, therefore, in place to look at both the aesthetic and practical aspects of the 545 stores within the WHSmith’s High Street portfolio. In addition, cost efficiencies must also be taken into account, which can be reinvested in further customer initiatives.
Having long been advocates of compact fluorescent lamps the introduction of the Philips MASTER PL-H was a natural choice for WHSmith to make for its airside outlet at Manchester Airport. A key consideration was the fact that the store operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With an average rated lifetime of more than 20k hours and a high lumen maintenance of 85% after 10k hours the MASTER PL-H lamp ensured WHSmith of reduced maintenance costs. Less re-lamping is required than many other solutions saving on expensive man hours and lamp replacement costs.
Leading out from the store’s main retail area is a new extension with a ceiling height of 3.4 metres. The PL-H lamp comes into its own here since it is the first time that a compact fluorescent can generate 9,000 lumens. This now offers a clear alternative to light sources such as metal halide, which may have been traditionally selected for applications where higher ceilings exist. The PL-H lamp can now provide higher lighting levels using fewer luminaires.
Working closely in association with Gamma Illumination, the final design scheme incorporated their 4.46 Series Pendant luminaires, which were specially designed to fully realise the potential of the PL-H lamp. Here the prime importance was to ensure that the new extension complimented the existing ambience of the store and that illumination levels were even throughout. This was achieved since the PL-H lamp is part of the compact fluorescent family. It builds on the tradition of longer life and higher lumen maintenance associated with the MASTER PL-L lamp, which is used widely in the remaining store area where the ceiling height was as low as 2.6 metres.
The overall design was in keeping with the clean and inviting image upon which WHSmith prides itself. Used in conjunction with a multi watt high frequency ballast customers feel relaxed and encouraged to browse since there is no risk of flickering and discomfort to the eye.
Steve Haley, project engineer with WHSmith, explains, “ The MASTER PL-H lamp provided us with the solution we were looking for particularly for the higher ceiling area. Since our airport stores are open 24/7, lamp life reliability is therefore of vitally importance to us. The PL-H lamp matched our needs – long life time, reliability and reduced maintenance costs.”