Exclusive video story: Tesco to fit doors to convenience chillers to save energy

Tesco is fitting doors on all new fridges in stores in its Express convenience chain.

In an exclusive new video, Global Convenience Store Focus reports why one of the world’s leaders in environmental retail design has taken this step.

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The move is part of Tesco’s adoption of new technologies for refrigeration and recognises that refrigeration systems contribute 19% of the supermarket’s total carbon footprint.

Leading UK convenience retailer, James Graven, is also fitting doors on chillers at its Budgens and Spar stores as part of his commitment to ‘going green’; reported in the April edition of Global Convenience Store Focus.

According to Jonathan James, James Graven operations director and NACS international committee member, new measures like these will produce significant savings on energy costs.

In a recent project undertaken for the Carbon Trust for its new build Littleport store, due to open later this year, James Graven has compared the cost of operating 1,600sq ft of chiller space with and without doors, for example.

James said operating chillers without doors would cost £13,600 for 12 months but £5,400 pounds with doors, saving more than £8,000 per year.

“The figures are staggering,” said James. “My peers think I’m mad as, over the years, there has been ‘proof’ that doors act as a barrier and prevent people from purchasing. My philosophy is that open chillers blast the customer with cold air thus causing them to swiftly make a choice without really browsing the shelves. The doors will, however, save a significant amount of electricity.”