The main objective is to advertise the presence of the sales area, and to allow customers to examine and purchase goods. For areas such as petrol filling stations, safety is also very important and local regulations for these should be consulted.

A high amount of vertical light is often required and the colour rendering could be important to display the goods with a good colour appearance.

The illuminance of the sales area should be proportional to the brightness of the surrounding district and should respect the requirements for the environmental lighting zone classification (see Thorn Technical Handbook, section on control of obtrusive light).

If the sales area is adjacent to a road care should be taken to ensure the lighting does not introduce glare to motorists or pedestrians.