The Lighting One Difference

Unless you work in the lighting industry, there’s a good chance that you’re not familiar with Lighting One. But, if you have ever shopped at one of hundreds of their lighting showroom members in the US or Canada, you’ve been impacted by their mission: empowering entrepreneurs and independent business owners in today's evolving lighting marketplace.

Lighting One is the largest lighting cooperative of independent specialty retailers in North America, selling roughly $450-million per year of high-quality lighting and home decor products. Its over 300 member locations leverage operational efficiencies that cannot be achieved by an individual store. This strength provides local businesses with the ability to compete with big box stores and online competitors while maintaining their own identities and keeping dollars in their respective local communities.

When consumers shop local, they help small businesses do more business – and Lighting One is committed to the core fundamentals of what a cooperative is: supporting locally-owned lighting and home décor showrooms to operate more profitably in an increasingly competitive marketplace, while helping cooperative members retain independence.

This sustained success of local retailers ultimately results in greater consumer choice and satisfaction, as well as better, more personalized service: the opposite of what is typically experienced when shopping at Big Box retailers for lighting and home décor needs.

Lighting One members receive a significant number of benefits, including, but not limited to:

Purchase Rebates
Reduced Freight Policies
Exclusive Product Offering
Marketing Support
Effective Training Programs
Networking
Industry Benchmarking

Here is what Dana Hunt, owner of Masterpiece Lighting of Atlanta, Georgia, has to say about Lighting One:

"Without question, the most profound benefits of Lighting One membership is the hands-on, "in the trenches" kind of wisdom and experience I garner from other co-members. Our industry faces an array of challenges, unprecendented in recent history. What made our businesses successful in the past hold little promise for perpetuating a healthy future. Truthfully, facing future challenges without my member-partners would be grim.

I am grateful for the friendships, wisdom, partnerships, and expertise Lighting One member relationships offer. Hope is great, but it is not the same as business strategy. My partners in Lighting One membership have made me a better business person. I am grateful."

Windward Software knows the high level of commitment and integrity that Lighting One exhibits each and every day for its members, and that's why Windward is proud to partner with the cooperative. Windward Software's software solution, Windward System Five, is Lighting One's preferred business management system for its members. Click here for more information about the partnership between Windward Software and Lighting One.

If you own or operate an independent lighting or home décor showroom and would like to find out more about becoming a Lighting One member, please click here. You'll find that Lighting One's membership benefits, programs and support services will give your local business a national boost!