SLL guide | Retail High streetwise The SLL has published its first guide to retail lighting. Jill Entwistle talks to author Simon Robinson about why it was needed and what it covers T he retail sector is in a state of flux. The high street is hollowed out, traditional supermarket behemoths are looking less invincible under the assault of costslashingcompetitors. A key factor, of course, is shifting consumer buying patterns, with online shopping offering convenient and irresistible options for the customer. An upshot of these disruptive developments has been the growing emphasis on retailtainment. The retail experience must offer what the online process cannot a tactile, sensory, stimulating and three-dimensional encounter. This has repercussions for design, which is crucial to creating an appealing ambience. Lighting, one of the key components in conjuring up atmosphere and delineating the merchandise, is now even more vital for setting the scene and providing dynamism. Retail interiors have moved way beyond a bit of spotlighting from a ceiling track. As elsewhere, LEDs have opened up the creative gates at just the right moment, allowing a multiplicity of techniques from discreet, integrated shelf lighting through to increasingly prevalent giant video walls. Given the growing complexities in this sector, it is a timely moment for the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) The quasi-temple feel of a recently opened Sanctuary store in Boston, Massachusetts, devoted to Adidas and designed by Montreal-based SLA; and (inset, left) an example of signage illumination at Londons Greenwich Market, with lighting by Hoare Lea 4 December 2018 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Dec18 pp04-06 Supp LG17.indd 4 23/11/2018 12:48