Lamps Plus

Lamps Plus is a privately held American specialty retailer and designer of lighting and home décor products. The company was founded in Los Angeles in 1976 by Dennis K. Swanson and Manja Swanson. Its first location, in North Hollywood, combined retailing with the manufacture of lamps, reflecting the company’s original focus on designing and producing lighting before it expanded into a broader retail model. The business grew from lamp manufacturing into a national omnichannel operation centered on lighting, furniture, and decorative home furnishings. Its product scope includes portable lamps, floor lamps, table lamps, ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, pendant lights, wall lighting, outdoor lighting, furniture, mirrors, and other décor-related goods. Lamps Plus also operates professional trade and hospitality divisions, serving designers, commercial customers, and hospitality projects in addition to consumers. Its corporate and worldwide headquarters is in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, while its retail and distribution activities support sales across the United States. Digital commerce became an important part of the company’s development. In 2004, its website was recognized by Internet Retailer as one of the leading retail websites, and the company subsequently appeared in the publication’s major retail-site rankings. Lamps Plus has also emphasized customer-service integration between its stores and online operations. It was described as the first U.S. retailer to allow customers to text store associates with questions without downloading a dedicated application. The company maintains design and manufacturing capabilities and has held patents associated with lighting products, including a torchiere floor lamp with adjustable side lights and a lamp incorporating a replaceable low-light bulb. Its own collections have included Color Plus, introduced in 2012 and offered in more than 100 color options, and Giclee Gallery, a line of metal pendant lights and chandeliers introduced in 2020. In 2021, Lamps Plus began an exclusive retail relationship for Stiffel-branded lighting fixtures, adding a historic American luxury-lamp name to its assortment. Lamps Plus has collaborated with designers and creative personalities including Stacy Garcia, Kathy Ireland, Sergio Orozco, Robert Sonneman, Romero Britto, and Ragnar. It also entered an annual endorsement relationship with NFL offensive lineman Forrest Lamp in 2017 and introduced a Forrest Lamp signature product in 2020. These collaborations broadened the company’s design profile beyond standard lighting retail. The company remains privately held and focused on lighting-led home furnishings. Its public profile has included recognition for ecommerce, omnichannel retailing, and channel innovation. It has also been involved in significant U.S. employment-law litigation. Following a 2016 employee-data breach and related class-action litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela held that the company could require individual arbitration under the applicable employment agreement rather than permit class arbitration.

Lamps Plus began in Los Angeles in 1976, founded by Dennis K. Swanson and Manja Swanson. The original North Hollywood store served both as a retail location and a manufacturing site. This early combination gave the company a direct connection to lamp design and production. The business initially concentrated on lamps, then expanded into broader lighting retail and eventually into furniture and home décor. As the company developed, Lamps Plus became a specialty lighting retailer with a multichannel operating model. Its assortment grew to include portable lamps, architectural and decorative fixtures, chandeliers, pendants, wall lighting, outdoor products, furniture, and related decorative goods. The company also established professional trade and hospitality divisions, enabling it to serve interior designers, commercial purchasers, and hospitality projects as well as household consumers. Its corporate headquarters was established in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, and the company maintained distribution infrastructure to support its retail network. The company’s name originally differed from its current identity. It began as Lamps R Us but changed the name after receiving a request from Toys “R” Us, whose naming rights and brand identity created a conflict. The business subsequently operated as Lamps Plus and built a position as a large U.S. specialty lighting retailer. Lamps Plus invested in ecommerce as retail shifted toward integrated store-and-digital purchasing. Its website received recognition from Internet Retailer in 2004 and was included in the publication’s leading retail website rankings in later years. The company also developed store-to-digital service features, including a text-based option that allowed customers to contact store associates without using a separate mobile application. This approach supported its broader omnichannel positioning. Product development remained part of the company’s identity. Lamps Plus and Dennis Swanson held patents related to lighting design, including a torchiere floor lamp with two adjustable side lights and a lamp designed around a replaceable low-light bulb. In 2012, the company launched its Color Plus lamp collection, which offered more than 100 color choices through custom manufacturing. In July 2020, it introduced Giclee Gallery, a range of metal pendants and chandeliers using distinctive graphic and conceptual treatments. In March 2021, Lamps Plus began exclusively selling Stiffel lighting fixtures, connecting its retail platform with a long-established American luxury-lamp brand. Lamps Plus also used collaborations to broaden its design and marketing reach. Reported collaborators include Stacy Garcia, Kathy Ireland, Sergio Orozco, Robert Sonneman, Romero Britto, and the Los Angeles-based artist Ragnar. In 2017, the company began an annual endorsement partnership with NFL offensive lineman Forrest Lamp. The relationship produced a Forrest Lamp signature product in 2020. The company’s history also includes a notable employment-law dispute. A 2016 breach of employee data led to class-action litigation. In Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the company could enforce individual arbitration under the employment contract at issue. The decision became an important legal reference concerning whether an arbitration agreement permits class arbitration. Lamps Plus remains privately held. Its recognition has centered on retail websites, omnichannel commerce, and channel innovation, while its operating identity continues to combine lighting design, specialty retail, ecommerce, professional services, and home décor.

• 2021

  Exclusive Stiffel retail relationship begins

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  Lamps Plus begins exclusively selling Stiffel-branded lighting fixtures.

• 2020

  Giclee Gallery and Forrest Lamp products appear

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  The company launches the Giclee Gallery lighting range and releases the Forrest Lamp signature lamp.

• 2019

  Supreme Court issues Lamps Plus arbitration decision

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court rules that the company may compel individual arbitration under the employment agreement at issue.

• 2017

  Forrest Lamp endorsement partnership begins

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  Lamps Plus begins an annual endorsement relationship with NFL offensive lineman Forrest Lamp.

• 2016

  Employee-data breach becomes subject of litigation

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  A breach involving employee information leads to class-action proceedings.

• 2012

  Color Plus collection launches

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  Lamps Plus begins selling custom-manufactured Color Plus lamps in more than 100 color choices.

• 2004

  Website receives Internet Retailer recognition

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s website is selected among Internet Retailer’s leading retail websites.

• 1976

  Lamps Plus is founded in Los Angeles

  [1]Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org

  Dennis K. Swanson and Manja Swanson establish the company, with the first North Hollywood location combining lamp manufacturing and retail.

A lighting-led specialty retailer combining proprietary and third-party lighting, home furnishings, design collaborations, professional trade services, hospitality support, stores, and ecommerce.

• Portable lighting · 2012

  Color Plus

  A Lamps Plus collection of custom-manufactured lamps introduced in 2012. The range is distinguished by extensive color choice, with more than 100 color options identified in the company’s reference material.

• Pendant lights and chandeliers · 2020

  Giclee Gallery

  A lighting range introduced in 2020 that applies concept wraps and distinctive graphic treatments to metal pendant fixtures and chandeliers. It represents Lamps Plus’s effort to combine decorative surface design with core lighting formats.

• Luxury lighting · 2021

  Stiffel lighting fixtures

  Stiffel-branded lighting fixtures sold exclusively through Lamps Plus beginning in 2021. Stiffel is identified in the reference material as an American luxury lamp company established in 1932.

• Signature lamp · 2020

  Forrest Lamp

  A signature lamp associated with NFL offensive lineman Forrest Lamp. It was released in 2020 after Lamps Plus began an annual endorsement partnership with the athlete in 2017.

• 2016

  Employee-data breach and related class-action litigation

  A breach involving employee data led to class-action litigation. The dispute later contributed to the legal context for the Supreme Court case Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela.

  Source

Read more

• 2017Forrest Lamp endorsement partnership

  United States

  Lamps Plus began an annual endorsement partnership with NFL offensive lineman Forrest Lamp, connecting the retailer’s lighting category with a sports personality and later extending the relationship into a signature product.

  Outcome. A Forrest Lamp signature lamp was released in 2020.

  Source

• 2021

  Exclusive Stiffel retail arrangementStrategy

  Background

  The company sought to broaden its lighting assortment with products from an established American luxury-lamp name.

  Action taken

  Lamps Plus began exclusively selling Stiffel-branded lighting fixtures.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch of Giclee Gallery lightingProduct launch

  Background

  Lamps Plus continued expanding its proprietary and design-led lighting assortment.

  Action taken

  The company introduced metal pendant lights and chandeliers using Giclee Gallery concept wraps.

  Source

• 2019

  Enforcement of individual arbitration agreementOther

  Background

  The company faced litigation following an employee-data breach and related claims involving class proceedings.

  Action taken

  Lamps Plus pursued enforcement of an employment arbitration provision requiring individual arbitration.

  Aftermath

  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the company could compel individual arbitration under the agreement at issue.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch of the Color Plus collectionProduct launch

  Background

  The company sought to extend its lighting offer through customizable, color-oriented products.

  Action taken

  Lamps Plus introduced custom-manufactured lamps offered in more than 100 colors.

  Aftermath

  The collection became a named product line within the company’s broader lighting assortment.

  Source

1. 1Lamps Plusen.wikipedia.org