Bashas’, a family-owned and operated grocery retailer in the western United States, recently installed energy-efficient LED lighting from Cree to better illuminate its Tempe, Ariz. location. The newly renovated store features luminaries powered by Cree TrueWhite Technology, delivering superior light quality that helps make products more attractive to customers, while enjoying the benefits of a quick payback and an anticipated energy savings of 47 percent over the store’s previous design.

“Shopping is a highly visual experience and it’s critical to showcase products in their most appetizing colors,” said Scott Murphy, construction manager for Bashas’. “When we decided to remodel the Tempe location, we initially chose fluorescent T8s and CFL downlights until we were introduced to Cree LED lighting. Cree luminaries not only deliver the best LED lighting in the industry but also provide significant energy and maintenance savings compared to outdated technologies. In the grocery store industry, it’s all about margins and Cree helped add green to our bottom line.”

Featuring a number of luminaries from Cree’s extensive portfolio—Cree CS18 linear luminaries, CR24 troffers, and LR6 and LE6 downlights—the installation resulted in a one-for-one replacement against the original specification due to the upgrade in light quality as well as energy and maintenance savings. Additionally, the Cree CS18 luminaries deliver strong vertical light levels, illuminating all levels of the store’s shelves using less power and providing significant energy savings,

“Businesses like Bashas’ no longer have to choose between color quality and savings,” said Mike Bauer, vice president of lighting sales, Cree. “Cree luminaries provide a truly no-compromise alternative to fluorescent lighting with exceptional light quality, reduced energy and reduced maintenance costs—all working to increase the bottom line.”

The installed Cree luminaries further help reduce energy consumption with their dimming capabilities. Supermarkets can see even greater energy savings with this technology, especially during hours with low shopper volume. Bashas’ expects the Cree system to pay for itself within two years*. More importantly, the Cree luminaries are backed by Cree’s 10-year industry-leading warranty, providing investment protection.