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Case Study: Providing Nationwide Coverage for Retail-Based LED Retrofit Management Needs

About Our Client

Our client — a furniture retailer with a large nationwide footprint — was in need of LED retrofit management services as it sought to upgrade 180 sites across 37 states.

The Problem: Current FM Partners Lacked Coverage

Coverage applies to two fronts: first, in terms of covering the retailer’s total footprint and in terms of warranties. It was clear that this lack of coverage wasn’t going to work.

  • Our client was struggling to find an LED retrofit management company that would be able to perform strong lighting audits, identify and pursue utility rebate incentives, and provide competitive pricing.
  • The retailer’s previous partners could only provide services across two to three states and were unable to support the retailer on a larger regional or national level.
  • The warranties its current partners offered on lamps and fixtures were weak, reducing the longevity of their investment.

The Solution: A Nationwide LED Retrofit Management Approach

The furniture retailer turned to CLS Facility Services for its LED retrofit management capabilities, nationwide coverage, and numerous other advantages thanks to our aggregator approach (versus the retailer working with multiple self-performers).

  • We performed precise lighting audits at each facility, detailing a thorough lighting analysis and identifying opportunities for improvements and replacements.
  • We then provided a turn-key proposal that detailed costs, multiple energy savings analyses, rebate maximization, and material selection from elite manufacturers.
  • To maximize the retailer’s investment, we also provided industry-leading 10-year material warranties for 95% of materials ordered for the LED retrofit projects.
  • The CLS team managed each project from start to finish upon approval of our proposal — providing completion updates, communicating with store managers, coordinating all install schedules and dates, and making all project work seamless.
  • Thanks to our project management and national vendor network, all projects were completed in a timely manner — minimizing disruption and downtime.
  • We also used uniform LED products from site to site so that the retailer’s stores would have uniform lighting and aesthetics with strong warranties nationwide.

The Result: Complete Coverage, Reduced Energy Costs, and Improved In-Store Experiences

Thanks to superb program execution, material lead times were minimal — particularly during an era when material lead times have been difficult on a national level.

  • We held a weekly status call to provide updates, completion reports, and situation analysis for LED retrofit projects.
  • Our team successfully obtained rebates for every location where such offers were available. We even earned additional electric grid incentive rebates — something other companies had never communicated about.
  • Every LED retrofit management project with CLS resulted in energy savings exceeding 60%, while improving light levels significantly.
  • We knew the projects would lead to good energy savings, but didn’t anticipate store managers providing such positive feedback on lighting uniformity and the new aesthetic of the lighting following project completion.

Get the Coverage You Need for Your Facilities

CLS Facility Services provides a complete portfolio of preventive maintenance solutions for organizations across multiple industries with anywhere from 50 to 400 locations. Our program-level approach, highly experienced team, technology and management strategy, and nationwide vendor network ensure that all of your most critical assets — from lighting and HVAC/R systems to signage, FLS, and plumbing — are covered 24/7/365.

Connect with us today to learn more about our capabilities.

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