Signify's Interact Lighting system helps Marks & Spencer operate efficiently

Global lighting leader Signify (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT) officially launched the multi-site management feature of Interact Retail during EuroShop, the retail trade exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany. This cloud-based smart connected lighting system is designed for chain stores and retail distribution centers, further deepening Signify’s presence in the retail IoT sector. Currently, the well-known UK retail group Marks & Spencer (M&S) is testing the multi-site management feature of the Interact Retail smart connected lighting system.

Prior to the launch of the new Interact Retail multi-site management feature, Signify had already deployed smart connected lighting systems in more than 2,000 retail stores worldwide. Years of accumulated success have helped retailers create appropriate lighting scenes and plans for their stores, thereby reducing energy consumption. This new feature enables interconnectivity between stores, allowing retailers to easily create and manage lighting schedules for all their locations using a single control panel, thus more effectively lowering operating costs, ensuring compliance, and planning luminaire maintenance.

The multi-site management feature of Interact Retail has helped Marks & Spencer reduce energy costs. “Compared to traditional multi-site lighting control software, the new system responds faster. Now, after we adjust the lighting settings, they can be applied to all stores connected to Interact Retail multi-site management on the same day. This helps reduce the group’s operating costs and accelerates the achievement of our sustainability goals,” said Alan Chisholm, Head of Standards Innovation in the Property & Store Development department at Marks & Spencer.

"For a long time, Signify has been committed to providing high-quality lighting for retail chains. With the launch of Interact Retail's multi-site management feature, we have taken another big step forward. Today, store operations face unprecedented challenges, and retailers must keep pace with the times by continuously introducing new experiences to meet shoppers' evolving needs. At the same time, operating costs must also be taken into consideration. Current lighting control solutions require staff to be on-site to modify store lighting scenes and schedules, making adjustments across all chain stores both expensive and time-consuming. Interact Retail's multi-site management feature is the industry's first lighting control system that can meet retailers' stringent demands for flexibility," said Simon den Uijl, Manager of Food & Large Retail at Signify.

Advantages of Smart Connected Lighting in Retail

Reduce energy costs – The Interact Retail multi-site management feature helps managers monitor energy consumption across all stores and optimize lighting settings. Built-in sensors collect data on natural light levels and automatically select the most suitable lighting mode based on illuminance. This feature also allows merchants to set custom lighting schemes, such as reducing light levels during daytime restocking or cleaning, or setting different light levels for winter when daylight hours are shorter. On days when energy prices surge, energy managers can complete modifications to store lighting schedules in just one hour, thereby reducing peak electricity charges. These measures help companies comply with energy saving regulations and sustainability goals.

Maximize operational efficiency – Manage lighting scenes and schedules for all stores remotely through a single dashboard. This helps managers optimize business hours and inventory counting times. The entire process allows for the easy creation of new retail experiences for customers without requiring staff to be present for debugging.

Maximize maintenance efficiency – Compared to passive response after failures occur, the Interact Retail multi-site management feature enables operations teams to prevent issues in advance. It not only provides timely insights into current faults but also flags warnings before potential problems occur, reducing luminaire downtime and personnel revisit time for repairs.

Cost-effective and easy to use—the multi-site management feature of Interact Retail enables managers to access the central lighting control system more conveniently. Users who have installed the Interact Retail smart connected lighting system can easily upgrade the software to this new management system by simply replacing the gateways in their stores. Signify provides software upgrade services for customers with installed Interact Retail smart connected lighting systems.

Unlike other lighting systems, the multi-site management feature of Interact Retail is not only suitable for general lighting in sales and work areas of stores, but also for refrigeration and product display areas. In addition to indoor lighting, outdoor lighting such as parking lots and building facades can also be controlled through this system.

The multi-site management feature of Interact Retail is fully prepared for future technology upgrades, helping customers better adapt to the new retail model. For more information, or to learn about (Sales) channel availability in your local market, please contact your local Signify office or visit the Interact Retail website.

The multi-site management feature of Interact Retail was launched and showcased during the retail exhibition held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from February 16 to 20.