FORECOURT AND CONVENIENCE STORES


D uring an in-store trial, energy consumption of an Aircell Crivat Grab & Go cabinet was measured as 53.6% less than the store’s existing open front multi deck display.


This reduction in energy consumption


represents an annual saving in electricity costs of £ 660.65 for a 1250 mm unit.


Furthermore, we calculated that had a night blind been deployed on the Aircell Crivat Grab & Go cabinet, as it was on the existing cabinet, the reduction in energy consumption would have been 5 7.9%, representing a £714.13 annual saving.


A more comfortable shopping environment The outflow of chilled air from cabinets also causes cold aisle syndrome, which is the chilly and uncomfortable temperature experienced by s hoppers in aisles with refrigerated displays. We h ave access to in-store research, which shows t hat the temperature in the refrigerated aisles of stores may be up to 6.5°C colder than the store ambient temperature.


Retailers recognise that cold aisles can


compromise the shopping experience, reducing customer browsing and purchases. Some retailers o perate costly heating regimes and cold air retrieval systems to temper the chill factor.


W hile some retailers and equipment


m anufacturers have employed glass doors on open front multi deck refrigerated display cases a s a means of reducing cold air spillage, it is becoming increasingly apparent that glass doors are not suitable for busy convenience retailing operations.


Indeed, the Carbon Trust Refrigeration Road M ap, produced with the Institute of Refrigeration, e ven questions the value of glass doors in high t raffic convenience stores: “The levels of energy saving claimed vary considerably and must be related to the level of use of the cabinet. Cabinets with doors undergoing higher usage have been s hown to save little energy when compared to an o pen-fronted cabinet…”


O ur own laboratory tests have demonstrated that glass door cabinets designed for up to 10 openings per hour experience significant loss of temperature control and increased energy consumption at an opening frequency of 30 or m ore per hour. There is also evidence to suggest t hat glass doors act as a barrier to browsing and shopping, reducing impulse purchases, especially in narrow aisled stores.


In contrast with glass door cabinets, open front multi decks provide easy and unfettered access


t o merchandise, which are prerequisites for high footfall convenience retailing operations. The open front design also affords high visibility of product, encouraging browsing and promoting impulse purchases.


These factors mean that open front cabinets are likely to be the preferred choice for food retailing, especially in the forecourt and convenience sector.


The cabinet of the future


Cold air spillage, and its effect on energy consumption, tighter temperature bandwidths and store environment, needs to be addressed to e nsure that we move toward more sustainable and environmentally friendly food retailing. It is clear that glass doors are not a viable solution for convenience retailing and while some alternative technologies have been put forward, these appear to have had limited success in reducing chilled air s pillage.


In my opinion, short air curtain technology is the most viable option for OEMs seeking to reduce cold air spillage and deliver retailer focused features to their customers, not least because it may be incorporated within existing a nd accepted cabinet designs.


Brymec


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