Huntingdon lighting firm's bright move pays off

THE transformation from IT solutions to energy-saving lighting may not be a common one – but it s one that is paying off for Huntingdon s mygreenlighting.co.uk. Founder Andrew Davis recognised the potential in the green market two years ago after completi

THE transformation from IT solutions to energy-saving lighting may not be a common one - but it's one that is paying off for Huntingdon's mygreenlighting.co.uk.

Founder Andrew Davis recognised the potential in the green market two years ago after completing an IT project for Chatteris-based lighting firm TP24, and swiftly made the decision to take his business in a completely new direction.

The website is now one of the country's widest suppliers of green lighting, offering hundreds of low-energy products which are shipped all over the country from the company's base in St Margaret's Way, Huntingdon.

"It was a big decision to change the focus of the business like that, but it was not a risk," said Mr Davis.

"It was a hard time to be selling IT products, so we decided to give it a try.

"It didn't cost us anything initially - we knew how to set up a good website, and TP24 offered to help us early on by filling orders for us from their warehouse. Gradually business began to build."

Mr Davis's IT background was key in establishing the website in such a competitive market.

"I knew how to get the website up the Google rankings and to make sure that people heard of us.

"As soon as word started to spread, the orders began to come in, and we realised it was a real business. Nearly all of our business now comes through the website," said Mr Davis.

Mygreenlighting's success soon outgrew Mr Davis's garage at his home in Hartford, and he took premises in Huntingdon. In January he took on a full-time employee to help deal with the growing demand.

He expects mygreenlighting to grow between 15 and 20 per cent this year, as the market for quality green products continues to grow.

One of the biggest challenges facing suppliers is overturning low-energy lighting's image as being an inferior option to traditional lighting.

Mr Davis said: "The move to low-energy bulbs a few years ago, when they were given out for free, has not necessarily helped the cause.

"For the most part they are low-quality products - ultimately you get what you pay for.

"We want to try to change the reputation of low-energy lighting as being a bit dim or murky. There are lots of products out there that show that it isn't true.

"Our products are not the cheapest, but we like to think we can source and locate exactly the product you need - it's not the kind of thing that you can pick up for pennies in a supermarket."

The future of the low-energy lighting market will be LED lighting, said Mr Davis, once the technology's current high prices have fallen to levels affordable for consumers.

"That's going to be the way forward - the savings with LEDs are up to 95 per cent of a traditional bulb, but it will be a while before that takes over. For now, we just want to make sure people have the widest choice possible.