Chilled food report

“Chillers are a great way to say that this product is different and it breaks the mass product display of the ambient aisles into more interesting sections,” says Geoff Thomasson, chief executive of refrigeration supplier Husky Group

Husky is in fact supplying options which give independent retailers greater freedom to create portable chilled impulse hot spots within their stores, without having to invest in extra large and sometimes cumbersome dairy units.

Among its initiatives is the IcePod 2 ¬a unit which Husky admits was inspired by Unilever's revolutionary Maxivision three-tier ice-cream freezers, supplied by Total Refrigeration from June in a more environmentally-friendly format.

The Husky IcePod 2 comes with three pods which have their own compressor and thermostat. This means that they can work together as one refrigerator or freezer stack, or as individual units displayed in various parts of the store, as a fridge or freezer.

“This gives total flexibility not only over its size, but also storage,” says Thomasson. For example, the base unit/pod one could be used to display ice-cream next to DVD rentals; pod two could merchandise bottled water at the entrance and pod three could sell confectionery near the check-out.

Alternatively, all three pods could display the same products which could be changed with seasonal demands, without having to remove the equipment.

The trick with chilling is not to cram too many different products into one unit. Overhang of product can prevent the air curtain from working properly and the display will look uninviting. “Segmenting products in separate chillers is a great way to give high profit lines more prominence,” adds Thomasson.

Among the high profit lines which independents have failed to fully tap into in the chiller, says Thomasson, are pre-packed salads, fresh flowers and exotic fruit and vegetables.

To address this Husky is bringing out a 1.9m upright, u single door unit, with three different interchangeable branded light box covers: ¬ fresh flowers, fresh salad and ¬ 5-a-day, ideal for prepared fruit and vegetables which will cost just £290.

“The retailer buys one chiller, but receives three canopies so he can change the display at his discretion and attract interest by change,” says Thomasson.

To get the maximum display opportunity from the main dairy chiller, retailers would be best to opt for a remote unit in which the motor is housed outside the store, rather than taking up space in the unit itself.

These are also quieter and create less heat in the store. Manufacturers are ever mindful of the need to bring out units with maximum display space.

Supplier Jordon Refrigeration, for instance, points to the recently launched Arneg Alva Maxi low front chiller, which has reduced the height of the front lip of the original cabinet from 449mm from the floor to just 313mm.

“It may only sound like a small difference, but this can give the retailer enough space to display an extra row of chilled wine, soft drink bottles or large milk cartons,” says its marketing manager Jon Dawson. “It also makes the display area bigger and more eye-catching.”

Husky, meanwhile, has introduced its Mega Cavern Multideck which it believes has the biggest open front access area of any multideck, with room to stack vertically five 500ml bottles, instead of the normal four.

The independent convenience sector may in the main be behind the multiples in embracing the chilled opportunity, but it is moving in the right direction. Spar wholesaler James Hall, which operates in the north of England, estimates that around 30% of the shop space in its 79 company-owned stores is given over to chilled, although with new refits it says the figure is between 40% and 50%.

Meanwhile, buying and symbol group Nisa-Today's says its members should aim at achieving in excess of 20% of their turnover from chilled, although this will be location and demographic dependent, says its group symbol director John Heagney.

“At Nisa, in all store development planning, we always, subject to the member's ability to afford the cost, install chilled cabinets to cover in addition to all relevant fresh foods, beers and lager, white wines and soft drinks. This is especially important in the summer when so much is bought to be consumed immediately,” says Heagney.

One of its members, Bellini's, an upmarket store in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, has gone much further. It has created a point of difference with a walk-in chilled Beer Cave. The 12ft by 8ft room enables the store to take orders for chilled cases of alcohol and to sell a large chilled beer range.

Beer and multi-packs of beer is one area which all independent grocery retailers should trial in the chiller. This is an area which is largely ignored by the multiples, says Thomasson, and will help give independents a unique selling point.

“By far the biggest advantage that convenience stores offer over the supermarkets is the ability to quick shop and since 80% of beers are bought for immediate consumption, within four hours of purchase, chilled beer is a massive opportunity that is totally under-exploited at present.”

As with wine, independents can add another string to their bow by chilling the drinks to below the temperature they would normally be consumed, advises Thomasson, since they will pick up heat on the way home or to a party or barbecue.

-Wine also now justifies its own chiller, he says. “Wine is also growing rapidly and by incorporating a chiller exclusively for wine it not only shows that a retailer is committed to quality wines but it also increases the recollection of its customers that it stocks wines.”