MORRISONS

Supermarket operators and HVAC consultants have been trying to resolve the problem of customer discomfort in cold chiller and freezer aisles for many years. This problem is compounded when temperatures throughout the rest of the store can be uncomfortably warm in comparison. Costly and inefficient ducting systems, under cabinet heaters and heat retrieval systems have failed to solve the problem to date.

Mitton Mechanical, a Morrisons contractor, approached Airius to conduct a trial in the Morrisons Knottingley store in Wakefield. Airius units were placed at 4 metre intervals in three chiller aisles, reducing stratification from 6-8ºC to 1-2ºC, thus making the chiller aisles more comfortable (without affecting the chiller units). This increased customer browse time and aisle spend, as comfortable shoppers browse for longer and spend more. The system also helps dry spills quickly through evaporation and eliminates glass “fogging”, keeping cabinet products clearly on display.

The trial was hugely successful and over 400 Morrisons stores have now been retrofitted with the Airius units. The Airius system is now on the standard specification list for all new Morrisons stores and will be retrofitted as part of the normal refurbishment program.

Morrisons and Mitton Mechanical are a pleasure to work with. Their eagerness to reduce energy consumption and improve comfort levels for their customers puts them at the very top of the Green supermarket list, which is why they were the first supermarket in the UK to be awarded the prestigious Carbon Trust Standard for making real reductions in their carbon emissions and energy usage.