Co-op supermarkets and convenience stores are dimming the lighting in its stores to try to keep a lid on energy bills.
The chain has said it will introduce dimmer lighting to 500 of its stores, around a fifth of its total number in the the UK. According to its figures, the measures could reduce its electricity bills for a single store by up to £4,000 a year and it it is rolled out to all its 2,500 stores, the saving could be as much as £10m.
The retailer said in its interim results in September that energy and wage inflation increased costs in the first half of 2022 by around £50m, while grocery sales grew driven by an increase in shopping frequency.
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“We are trialling an energy-smart lighting initiative in a small number of our stores and are also reviewing how we can become a more energy-efficient business, without compromising safety and still achieving a positive store environment and shopping experience for our customers,” said a Co-op spokesman told Grocery Gazette.
Co-op is not the only retailer to be looking at reducing the use of lighting in stores, with some larger retailers like Tesco and Asda understood to be dimming lights in some bigger superstores to tackle rising energy costs.
Morrisons has also introduced hours of some days where lights are dimmed, however this was introduced last year as part of a ‘quieter hours’ in their stores.
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