A scene from Lightovation show in January 2025. Photo courtesy of Dallas Market Center
As we enter a new year and January market season gets into full swing, what are lighting retailers hoping to glean from their market experiences and interactions at Lightovation — January 10-13 at Dallas Market Center?
Quite a bit, as they plan for what will hopefully be a less fraught business year than 2025. According to Jon Melchi, president of the American Lighting Association (ALA), there’s reason to be hopeful. An economists’ report at the ALA’s most recent conference in September 2025 suggested that after a challenging 2025 for retailers and manufacturers, business is expected to pick back up this year with more stability. “Some certainty will help everyone,” Melchi noted. “At the ALA, we’ll be there to advocate for our members.” To that end, the ALA will be on site at Lightovation to chat with members about their concerns and share the value the organization can provide.
For retailers, job one at market is showroom visits with valued and trusted resources, and seeing what new offerings they have for the upcoming season. While procuring products might be the primary reason for attendance, there are other benefits to attending markets that can’t be replaced by rep visits and/or ordering remotely.
In-person connection with suppliers, for example, is something retailers consider to be the foundation for the solid relationships they build with the reps and suppliers they rely on. Frank Therrien, owner of Georgia Lighting, said, “Keeping the face-to-face value of the network alive,” is a primary reason he and his team attend Lightovation.
Pace Lighting owner and CEO Lisa Bartlett agreed: “Networking and strengthening relationships with sales agents and vendors is a major reason for sending my team to market.”
As there is so much ground to cover, many lighting retailers bring additional staff to market to share the work and allow team members to get a broader view of the industry. They can make connections as well, ensuring even stronger relationship opportunities and allowing for a more diverse market experience for the team. Laurie Gross, president of Gross Electric and former ALA interim president, has team members who work with existing suppliers, so she can connect with other lighting retailers and visit new vendors. Like so many other lighting retailers, Gross has expanded her showroom’s assortment to include more home decor and furniture, giving customers a more well-rounded shopping experience.
Addressing retail needs
For these lighting vendors, a key business function that is easier to accomplish at market is working with vendors on pricing, freight terms and more to help them stay competitive in an ever-changing retail environment.
“In addition to seeing new lighting, we are looking for the deals that are available to us and what programs are being offered, such as better freight terms,” Gross commented. “These programs are critical to our success. Markets are a good time to meet with suppliers to secure them.”
In addition to display discounts and free freight for sales volume, Pace Lighting’s Bartlett would like to see more oversight for increasing MAP violations from online sellers and higher barriers of entry for trade sales, such as higher minimum orders and annual account reviews. Historically, lighting retailers have serviced their trade partners, providing discounts and support for such needs as education and installation.
As the lighting industry begins to embrace trade clients, however, retailers would like to see more rigorous accountability to ensure that as stocking distributors, they are getting better pricing and terms based on their typical higher sales volume.
“As a stocking distributor, I should be getting a lower cost,” Gross noted. “I worry about breakage, cost and putting products back into stock to make my margins. Other trades should be paying at least 20 percent more. It should be an equal playing field.”
Bartlett added that bypassing distribution channels and selling direct to trades is also a concern for her business. “Trade accounts are open and not always assessed for annual sales volume,” she said. “In addition, there are MAP violations all over the internet.”
Georgia Lighting’s Therrien agreed that extending such things as more favorable freight terms and increasing MAP vigilance goes a long way to demonstrating that brick-and-mortar customers, who carry more overhead, are important to their businesses. Market appointments are an opportunity to address these concerns. “We have to be vocal on these issues,” he said. “We have to push back on eroding prices. Most manufacturers step in to help with that.”
New and Noteworthy
While securing the best deals and products with existing suppliers is critical to a successful market, retailers also try to make time to see new lighting and suppliers, finding the standouts that will wow their customers along with the styles and trends their clientele expresses interest in. While Therrien said it’s difficult to get to new vendors sometimes with more than 100 appointments lined up in the few days he’s at market, it pays to take time to check out new suppliers. “It has to be a standout,” Therrien noted. “That said, it was because of the last market that Georgia Lighting was the first to carry Arabela Lighting in the metro Atlanta area.”
“We look for new vendors when we’re at market, especially for furniture and accessories,” Gross said. Gross Electric has expanded its assortment to include additional home furnishings categories and now regularly attends High Point Market, too. “We see what the designers are looking at that we should be putting in our showroom. We’re also looking at showroom display techniques that we may not have considered,” she said.
Gross and Bartlett both noted that they also spend months before the market ensuring they attend with their customer wish lists in mind, ensuring they are paying attention to the trends and items they’ve been asked for.
“We spend a lot of time before the markets talking to our salespeople about what people are looking for that we may not have. What are customers showing us on their phones?” Gross said. “It’s really a year-long process.”
Bartlett also assesses trends before her staff attends the market by paying attention to what customers are asking for. Her sales team also pays attention to what styles they are seeing in homes that are new. “I expect to see fixtures with more color and texture in brass this year,” she added.
The Social Scene
While retailers suggest they may not have much time for networking and educational events, there are a few ways to connect with other retailers and learn more about what is happening in the industry. For Gross, while her staff spends time in showroom visits, she’ll walk the market halls and connect with other retailers to learn how they are elevating their businesses, what they are seeing that demands attention and what’s working for them. Gross also attends the ALA’s Women in Lighting event and tries to get to educational seminars on topics that she feels can impact her business.
For example, at January Lightovation, the ALA will host several seminars, including a public policy briefing and meet & greet with Advocacy Consultant Palmer Schoening, where they will discuss public policy efforts that are impacting the lighting business.
According to Melchi, in addition to this policy briefing, the ALA will host a meeting with its Board of Governors to give members a platform to ask questions, as well as be available with office hours to listen to and assist their members wherever possible. “Our goal is to be as visible and flexible as possible to learn from our members,” he said. “We’ll be meeting our members more this year so we can be proactive and deliver the value they want to see.”
Gross said that while she values and attends such networking events as Women in Lighting — in the WAC Lighting showroom this market on Jan. 11 from 4 to 5:30 pm — with larger crowds, it’s difficult to have in-depth conversations.
For lighting retailers, while travel can be expensive and it can be difficult to take time away from business, it’s important to attend markets to assess business opportunities and challenges, build on relationships and find the inspiration to look forward to another year of bringing the best in lighting and home accessories to their communities and customers.
