Co-op has embarked on an extensive lighting upgrade across its estate, partnering with Zumtobel and Thorn as approved suppliers. This collaboration has successfully completed lighting enhancements in around 400 stores across England, Scotland, and the Highlands and Islands, with plans for further expansions to include funeral care centres and other Co-op facilities.
The programme spans diverse store formats and conversions, often involving older buildings with unique architectural constraints. The model store concept, utilising Zumtobel’s TECTON continuous row system, provides a consistent lighting baseline across sales floors. This system adapts to individual site requirements, ensuring quality and efficiency, while designs are coordinated remotely to accommodate tight schedules and logistical challenges.
Chris Batchelor, UK Retail Division Manager at Zumtobel & Thorn, states, “The brief is both simple yet demanding: a consistent customer experience, high efficiency, and quick, clean installs, delivered at pace, nationwide. TECTON provides a reliable backbone for the sales floor, while Thorn’s portfolio covers staff areas and external zones. The result is a kit of parts that’s fast to deploy and easy to support, without compromising Co-op’s standards.”
Zumtobel’s TECTON system forms the adaptable backbone of the sales floor, using TECTON C luminaires for consistent presentation lighting. Thorn complements this with robust solutions like PopPack and Omega Pro 2 for staff and back-of-house areas, ensuring dependable performance. Externally, Thorn’s luminaires, such as Katona Round and Areaflood Pro, illuminate façades and car parks, while unified emergency lighting systems enhance safety.
The Telford Street store in Inverness exemplifies the comprehensive implementation, featuring a fully integrated lighting system ready for DALI-controlled enhancements. The primary challenge lies in maintaining a single standard across varying store sizes and layouts. However, the TECTON platform and Thorn’s versatile luminaires facilitate rapid adaptation, even in sites with legacy constraints.
John Bradshaw, Head of Engineering & Standards at Co-op Property, comments, “Our lighting upgrade gives us a consistent standard across formats, while letting us adapt to the specifics of each site. Building the sales floor around TECTON and pairing it with Thorn solutions for staff areas and exteriors delivers energy efficiency, improved store connectivity, and simpler maintenance in one package.”
This programme ensures a consistent in-store experience, underpinned by energy-efficient LED platforms and addressable control readiness. The use of proven products reduces maintenance burdens and simplifies spare parts management, while the adaptable TECTON architecture future-proofs stores for later modifications. Feedback from across the Co-op estate has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the programme’s success in balancing quality with operational efficiency.
