Currys switches off sales of standard light bulbs

Currys, Britain’s biggest electrical retailer, announces today that it is to discontinue the sale of incandescent light bulbs in its 550 stores. At the same time, Currys will extend the range of energy efficient light bulbs available to customers. Existing supplies of incandescent bulbs will be sold, but no further orders will be placed from today with manufacturers.

Announcing the decision, Peter Keenan, managing director of Currys said: "We believe that this is the right decision to take as part of a range of measures designed to reduce the energy consumption of our products. Energy consumption is a growing concern for all of us and the incandescent bulb simply doesn’t pass the efficiency test any more. Customers will have the opportunity to purchase a wider range of energy efficient light bulbs from Currys stores in future, alongside many other products that are certified as energy efficient. We believe that the vast majority of our customers will welcome the financial benefits that stem from the substantially reduced lighting costs in their homes."

Currys’ decision comes nearly 130 years after the development of the first commercially viable light bulb by Thomas Edison. Approximately 95% of the power consumed by an incandescent light bulb is emitted as heat, rather than as visible light.

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Mark Webb 01727 205019/07834 256779

Hamish Thompson 01727 203195 / 07702 684290