The trend to add doors to chiller cabinets at convenience stores has been gathering pace across many UK food supermarkets. The implementation of chiller doors has not only helped to save energy within the stores whilst keeping a controlled environment for the produce, it has additionally provided a “warmer” aisle for the customer, enabling them to spend longer looking at the options and making their choices. These benefits are now increasingly recognised by the larger format sites but until now there has been a concern that the door might create a visual barrier to the consumer. A new glass door solution from SCHOTT that is nearly invisible overcomes this concern.
With increasing competition due to the high number of retailers as well as the growing tendency towards online food shopping it is even more important for market leaders in “brick and mortar” retail to enhance the shopping experience for consumers and to form long term ties with loyal customers.
This is where, amongst other areas, the chilled goods department offers potential. New transparent, virtually frameless Termofrost® glass door systems by SCHOTT allow a clear view of product presentation and thereby simplify the orientation and decision at the POS for the consumer. They also significantly contribute towards reduction of energy consumption. One store of the French supermarket chain Carrefour has already been successfully using these chiller doors by SCHOTT since July 2015.
Today’s consumers have tremendous options in food shopping. For food retail store managers, competition is a main concern. On top of that, according to a recent survey by the Nielsen Company, more than half of today’s consumers are willing to buy food products online. More than ever, grocery managers have to make every aspect of their customers’ shopping experience stand out. Consumers are more likely to buy when there is a strong visual display. This of course includes the refrigerated goods section.
When doing their food shopping, customers are often under time pressure, as our daily lives are increasingly busy and hectic. Modern consumers really appreciate being able to find the desired goods quickly and easily. A supermarket benefits from a clear and appealing merchandise presentation, because consumers will be very likely to return. This is also true for the chilled goods section, easy orientation on the different product categories makes selecting goods very convenient and thus undoubtedly heightens the customer’s shopping experience. Very importantly, it also impacts positively on sales for the supermarket.
Swing or sliding door models
The new fully transparent SCHOTT Termofrost® chiller door models are available as swing or sliding doors. Thanks to crystal-clear spacers for the insulated glass units, the vertical edges are hardly noticeable, thus there is an unobstructed view of the chilled products on the shelf. This effect provides much more flexibility for food presentation and facilitates easy orientation in the chilled section. No matter where a product is presented on the shelf, it is fully visible, even behind the edge of a door.
“Our new virtually invisible glass door system creates a stand out shopping experience for consumers. Food retail stores can create a stimulating presentation in chilled areas. Thanks to the larger visible area the grocer has greater flexibility in the positioning of goods in the chillers. The customers, on the other hand, are better able to orientate themselves and find what they’re looking for more quickly. A true win-win situation,” explains Sales Manager John Meadows of SCHOTT UK.
He adds: “Modern virtually transparent chiller doors also support the implementation of a sleek look and feel. This helps the store manager to raise the overall image of their supermarket as innovative and fulfills the expectations of the modern consumer who prefers to experience a comfortable and pleasant shopping trip in their favourite store.”
Reduced energy consumption A further decisive advantage of the new Termofrost® doors is the energy saving. Thanks to double glazed doors the required cooling temperatures are significantly easier to maintain and the energy consumption can be reduced by up to 65 per cent, compared to open multideck cabinets. This is possible because the new doors have the same good low U-value as conventional glass doors. An additional advantage; installed refrigerated units can be retrofitted with these doors.
SCHOTT offers an energy-savings calculator on its website:
http://www.schott.com/flatglass/engli sh/commercialrefrigeration/calculato r-chiller.html
Carrefour confirms the benefits of the frameless chiller doors
Thierry Barbier, store manager of the Carrefour store in Villepreux, France is aware of the benefits of the SCHOTT Termofrost® models and has been using T.AGD3 series swing doors in his store since July 2015. “A challenge particularly in the chilled area is the visibility of the many products. The doors of the chillers must appear transparent, so that the customer can easily find the product they are looking for. For our employees, on the other hand, it is important that goods are easy to stack and it is noticeable at any time what needs to be refilled,” says Barbier. Since the installation of the T.AGD3 swing door system many customers spend more time in the chilled area of the store. The new ambience not only boosts planned purchases, but also impulse ones.
Barbier further underlines: “Thanks to the Termofrost® doors there is no longer an ice age in our chilled goods area. This pleases our customers with comfortable temperatures in the chilled aisles and saves us money: the energy consumption for the entire chilled area has already been reduced by more than 30 per cent.”
In summary, this means: the transparent chiller doors optimise the shopping experience of the customers and with their modern design thus have a positive influence on the sales of the grocers.
About SCHOTT Termofrost® glass door systems
The new transparent glass door systems by SCHOTT Termofrost® are available as swing doors in the T.AGD3 series as well as sliding doors in the T.SDS2 series. Due to their clear and transparent vertical edges, these doors provide 100% transparency. Both of the innovative door versions are suitable for newly installed chiller cabinets as well as for the retrofitting of existing chillers. SCHOTT Termofrost® stands for more than 40 years of experience in the area of commercial refrigeration including glass doors for commercial freezers.
SCHOTT UK
John Meadows, Sales Manager
Tel: 01785 275903
Email: john.meadows@schott.com
At a glance:
The SCHOTT Termofrost® glass door system is designed for the presentation of dairy products, fresh meat or beverages in refrigerated cabinets. This system offers visibility similar to open cabinets, which facilitates the search for goods inside the cabinet. Fully transparent vertical edges without profiles increase the display area and maximize the visibility of the products. This system is suitable for new refrigerated cabinets and retrofit projects.
Three options enhance the system:
• Two door types for maximum visibility: SCHOTT Termofrost® T.AGD3 swing doors or Termofrost® T.SDS2 sliding doors
• Anti-reflective glass: SCHOTT Conturan®
• Lighting: Fluorescent T5 Tubes or LED
Comments are closed.