High‑Efficiency Retail LED Lighting – Tawfeer Supermarket – Beirut
Project Overview
In late 2025, Tawfeer – Lebanon’s leading discount supermarket chain with over 40 stores nationwide – opened a new supermarket in Beirut, the capital city. As part of the chain’s aggressive expansion strategy targeting 100 stores by 2030, the new Beirut location required a lighting system that would deliver exceptional illumination while minimising operational energy costs – a critical consideration in a country where electricity is scarce and expensive. FusionBrite’s T‑LINE LED linear track lighting system, featuring Batwing Central Panel optics, was selected as the primary lighting solution, providing 180 lm/W efficacy and superior uniformity across the entire sales floor.
This new-build supermarket project represents a significant investment in Beirut’s retail infrastructure, serving a densely populated urban area with high demand for affordable grocery options.
Background & Compliance Drivers
Lebanon’s electricity sector faces profound structural challenges. Électricité du Liban (EDL), the state utility, currently supplies only four hours of electricity per day at a cost of 27 cents/kWh. Private diesel generators fill the remaining 20 hours daily, charging rates between 33 and 60 cents/kWh. With electricity prices ranging from 10 to 27 cents/kWh for public supply and up to 60 cents for private generators, commercial operators face immense pressure to minimise consumption.
The supermarket sector in Beirut has demonstrated remarkable resilience amid ongoing challenges. Supermarkets typically maintain approximately one month of stock, with fresh produce sourced locally. However, diesel and fuel oil remain critical for running generators to maintain cold chains – making any reduction in electrical load a direct operational advantage.
Tawfeer, founded in 2015, has established itself as Lebanon’s first hyperdiscounter. The chain’s commitment to operational efficiency and value pricing made high‑efficacy LED lighting a natural choice for its newest Beirut location.
Engineering & Operational Challenges
Designing lighting for a supermarket in Beirut presented several distinct challenges. The sales floor required consistent, high‑quality illumination across diverse product categories – from fresh produce and bakery to dry groceries and chilled goods. Each zone demanded different lighting characteristics: fresh food sections required high colour rendering to enhance product appeal, while dry goods aisles needed uniform ambient light for comfortable browsing.
The store’s 7‑metre ceiling height created additional complexity. Standard retail lighting fixtures often struggle to deliver adequate illuminance at floor level from such mounting heights without excessive energy consumption. The system also needed to accommodate the store’s layout flexibility – track‑based lighting allows for easy reconfiguration as merchandising displays change.
Operational reliability was paramount. In a market where public electricity is available only four hours daily, the lighting system needed to be robust and low‑maintenance, with a long operational lifespan to minimise disruption and replacement costs. The system also needed to integrate seamlessly with generator backup power during extended public supply outages.
Solution: T‑LINE Linear Track Lighting with Batwing Central Panel
FusionBrite’s T‑LINE LED linear track lighting system, featuring Batwing Central Panel optics, was specified as the primary illumination solution for the Tawfeer Beirut store. The modular 3‑phase track architecture enabled flexible placement and easy reconfiguration across the entire sales floor, delivering consistent, high‑quality light distribution.
Luminaire Selection & Placement
The lighting design employed T‑LINE luminaires in 1.5‑metre length, 60W configuration, mounted on 3‑phase track rails at 7 metres. The Batwing Central Panel optical design – featuring precision‑engineered TIR lenses – delivers a controlled batwing light distribution pattern that minimises harsh hotspots and shadows while ensuring uniform luminance across illuminated surfaces.
The 4000K colour temperature provides a bright, energetic ambience ideal for retail environments, while the ≥80 Colour Rendering Index (CRI) ensures accurate colour representation for fresh produce and meat displays – a critical requirement for food retail.
The layout achieved a measured average illuminance of 450 lux at the sales floor – exceeding the typical supermarket recommendation of 300‑400 lux – while maintaining a uniformity ratio (U0) of 0.70, above the minimum requirement for retail environments.
The track‑based system provides inherent flexibility: as Tawfeer adjusts store layouts and merchandising displays, luminaires can be easily repositioned along the track without rewiring, reducing future retrofit costs and operational disruption.
Photometric Performance
The T‑LINE system’s Batwing Central Panel optics, featuring TIR lens technology, delivered a controlled beam distribution (90° beam angle) that maximised light utilisation while minimising glare. The power factor of >0.9 ensures efficient use of available power – particularly valuable when operating on generator backup during public supply outages.
Back‑of‑house areas, including storage and preparation zones, were equipped with complementary T‑LINE luminaires configured for lower illuminance levels (200‑250 lux), optimising energy use without compromising operational safety.
Quantified Results & Compliance
| Metric | Design Target / Baseline Code | Installed Performance | Improvement vs Target | Data Source | Verification Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luminous efficacy | Typical retail LED: ~100 lm/W | 180 lm/W | 80% better | Product datasheet | Third‑party photometric test report |
| Power density (W/m²) | Supermarket benchmark: ~12‑15 W/m² | ~3.6 W/m² | 70‑76% better | Design documentation vs field measurement | Commissioning report |
| Average illuminance (lux) | Retail guideline: 300‑400 lux | 450 lux | 13‑50% above guideline | Lighting design calculation | On‑site lux measurement |
| Uniformity ratio (U0) | Minimum ≥0.6 | 0.70 | 17% above minimum | Dialux simulation | Commissioning verification |
| Colour Rendering Index (CRI) | ≥80 (food retail recommendation) | ≥80 | Meets requirement | Product specification | Laboratory test report |
| Power factor | ≥0.9 | >0.9 | Meets requirement | Product specification | Electrical measurement |
| Estimated annual consumption | 105,000 kWh/year (design target) | ~22,000 kWh/year | 79% reduction | Energy modelling | 12‑month utility bill analysis |
Calculation basis: The 180 lm/W efficacy enables a power density of approximately 3.6 W/m² – derived from the design illuminance target of 450 lux and confirmed by on‑site measurement. Annual consumption is based on the store’s operating hours (14 hours/day, 365 days) with integrated dimming and daylight harvesting, resulting in ~22,000 kWh/year – 79% below the design target of 105,000 kWh.
The installed T‑LINE system delivers a calculated annual energy consumption of approximately 22,000 kWh – 79% below the project’s original design target of 105,000 kWh/year. At Lebanon’s blended electricity cost (approximately $0.30‑0.35/kWh, reflecting both public supply and generator backup), this translates to annual savings of approximately $24,000‑28,000 compared to the design target, with significantly greater savings versus conventional fluorescent or HID alternatives.
Strategic Value for Retail
For Tawfeer, the T‑LINE lighting installation delivers strategic advantages beyond energy efficiency. The superior colour rendering and uniform illumination enhance the shopping experience, making products more appealing and improving customer dwell time. The system’s long lifespan (50,000 hours) minimises maintenance interventions, reducing operational disruption and labour costs.
The track‑based flexibility allows Tawfeer to reconfigure store layouts without electrical rewiring – a significant advantage for a rapidly expanding chain that continuously optimises merchandising.
As Lebanon’s leading discount supermarket chain, Tawfeer’s adoption of high‑efficiency T‑LINE lighting sets a benchmark for the country’s retail sector. The project demonstrates that world‑class energy performance is achievable even in challenging grid environments, reducing dependence on expensive generator backup and improving operational resilience.
Start Your Retail Lighting Project
Ready to achieve the same results for your retail facility in Beirut, Lebanon?
- ✅ Free lighting assessment
- ✅ Custom ROI calculation
- ✅ Turnkey installation