Page 62 - Lighting Magazine February 2018

under the radar
left: The 14-light Orion pendant xture makes an elegant statement piece.
right: The Saville pendant can enhance both transitional and contemporary rooms.
accounts. The U.S. is a big market and we have some terri c products, but we want to make sure we get the distribution strategy right in these early years of growth.
LL: Over the years, what have customers consistently said about your company and your products?
GR: They love that the range keeps on developing and that every couple of months there are new products to review. We also put a lot of e ort into the lifestyle photography we take of our products; our customers are able to use that great photog- raphy in their own marketing.
[There isn’t a typical customer.] Each one is di erent and has their own way that they want to work with us. Some purchase in their own brand, others prefer to use our LUCCI brand, some cus- tomers buy from stock in our warehouse in China, and others buy direct from the factory in full con- tainer loads. [I think they appreciate that] we are a very exible business focused on product innova- tion and customer service.
LL: What did you feel was missing in the U.S. market that Beacon Lighting o ers?
GR: I think our products have a lighter, more
modern edge to them. We believe the U.S. market is moving in this direction and that the trend will continue to grow. We have also designed and pat- ented the FANAWAY ceiling fan, which has been a huge seller in many markets around the world and we believe the U.S. will be another big market for this fan. What makes the FANAWAY unique is that it has retractable blades and looks like a lighting xture when not in use.
We build businesses over a longer term. Se ing up new businesses is never easy, but we take it one step at a time and don’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We have been pleased with the sales success [in e-commerce and through major ac- counts] so far in North America.
LL: What are you most excited about in the U.S. market?
GR: I guess the biggest thing about the U.S. market is the scale. We are accustomed to the Australian market, which is fairly small in comparison. The North American market is also very diverse, so while there will always be your top-selling lines, there are others that you wouldn’t have expected to perform as well as they have in some markets. That is exciting for us — developing particular lines for the di erent customers within the market. 
58 enLIGHTenment Magazine | FeBruarY 2018
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