GE Lighting helps Walgreens enhance lighting at nearly 7,000 stores

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Walgreens recently upgraded its general lighting across 80% of the chain's nationwide locations, thanks to a partnership with GE Lighting.

As part of its new new lighting initiative, Walgreens said it has changed its lights to the new GE F25 T8 linear fluorescent tubes, which is designed to save thousands of dollars as it impacts more than 4.3 million lights at nearly 7,000 stores. Additionally, the new linear fluorescent fixtures from GE Lighting will increase energy efficiency by 9% and extend re-lamp cycles by 10%. Walgreens also noted that these lights — lamps that feature a higher color temperature and color rendering index — cause tones to appear more vivid and vibrant. This can affect how shoppers perceive the colors of different products, the drug store chain said.

"Creating the very best shopping experience for our customers is our top priority, and lighting helps us achieve that goal," said Tim Schmid, divisional vice president of facilities management, energy and sustainability with Walgreens. "With our new lighting upgrade, colors appear more vibrant and more like they would in daylight, so customers don't need to second guess themselves in the cosmetics aisle. Plus, the change is saving us money and energy at the same time."