Modern commercial refrigeration equipment allows you to maintain the quality of the goods, observing the necessary temperature conditions for products and, at the same time, hold a spectacular demonstration of them to customers.
One of the types of commercial refrigeration equipment are refrigerated display cases. This type of equipment is designed to operate in self-service mode in various outlet formats.
Refrigerated display cases are placed in stores of the convenience store format, gas station, minimarkets, medium and large supermarkets.
Showcase as a type of commercial refrigeration equipment
Refrigerated showcase – design for cooling, storage and display of products for various purposes. A standard showcase consists of several parts:
- Showcase body. Usually, the showcase body includes: galvanized frame, frame, racks, rear racks, tray, foamed elements (bath, ceiling, etc.), base display, ceiling, evaporator.
- A set of decorative profiles that match the length of the showcase;
- Control block. Control units from manufacturers such as Danfoss, Eliwell, Carel or Dixell are good choices;
- Fans. Showcases use fan units to circulate cold air inside the showcase. Reliable and proven in the market are fans trademark ELCO.
- Showcase shelves. Depending on the type of product, temperature regime, depth of the inner chamber, many modifications of product shelves are used. The main parameters are the depth and length of the inner chamber of the showcase, the possible maximum load on the shelf, the angle of the shelf, the presence or absence of perforations, dividers, price holders, limiters.
- Chamber and showcase shelf lighting complete with power supply. Ideal lighting option - the presence of the upper chamber lighting and additional lighting for each shelf. In this case, the products located on the shelf of the showcase look emphatically fresh and bright, provoking the buyer to buy. Leading manufacturers use LED backlighting in the basic configuration, while the color of the backlighting is selected individually for each type of product. It can be such colors as: cold white, neutral or warm white, pink (for meat). Selecting the correct backlight color inside the camera – an important factor in increasing the attractiveness of products and increasing sales.
- Refrigerating unit. The heart of the showcase and the most important node of any refrigeration equipment. The safety of products, their freshness, speed and uniformity of cooling or freezing depend on the power and reliability of the refrigeration unit. Refrigeration units include several main components:
- Compressor (refrigerator engine that compresses and moves the refrigerant vapor in the refrigeration unit). The most famous compressor manufacturers for commercial refrigeration equipment: Embraco Aspera, Danfoss, ACC, Tecumseh.
- Condenser (the part of a refrigeration machine that, when cooled, converts the refrigerant from a vapor state to a liquid state). The efficiency of the condenser depends on the correct selection of its dimensions, the pitch of the fins for the planned capacity of the refrigeration machine, the presence of forced airflow by the fan.
- Evaporator – one of the main components of the refrigeration machine, the task of which is – absorption of heat from the environment and the release of cold into the refrigerated display case.
Distinguish between built-in and remote cold in refrigerated display cases.
- Built-in refrigeration means a complete set of a refrigerated display case with a refrigeration unit built into the case.
- Remote cold – using a refrigerated display case without a refrigerating unit built into the case and connecting it to an existing centralized refrigeration supply system or installing a refrigerating unit outside the sales area.
Traditionally, commercial refrigeration equipment with built-in cold is used in retail premises with a small area, usually an area of up to 300-500 m2. Advantages of built-in cold:
- mobility;
- cost;
- easy installation and maintenance.
In large-format retail premises, it is advisable to use remote refrigeration. On a large scale, external cold provides a number of advantages:
- lack of noise in the trading floor;
- the efficiency of air conditioning increases due to the absence of additional heat sources;
- greater display area and loading volume of goods in each showcase;
- energy saving.
Refrigerated display cases can be assembled into a single display line. There are suitable connection kits for this.
Types of refrigerated display cases
Since the technique has been used in trade for many years, it is not surprising that over such a period it has received a wide variety of types.
Refrigerated display cases can be divided according to such features as:
- Temperature conditions
Depending on the type of product and the temperature of its storage, choose the appropriate temperature regime. In this connection, showcases are divided into:
Used for storing frozen fish, semi-finished products, ice cream, etc.
- medium temperature - mode from 0 to +10 degrees.
Used for storing and displaying sausages, fish, cheese, dairy products, confectionery products, etc. This type is the most common, as it satisfies the requirements for storing a wide range of products.
- combined – -5 to +5 degrees
Convenient for dairy and sour-milk products, fresh meat, etc.
- Type of cold air circulation inside the showcase cold room
Depending on the type of product, the presence or absence of product packaging, showcases are divided into:
- Display cases with dynamic cooling – the use of forced air blowing with cold air of the internal space of the chamber (used to cool packaged products for more efficient and uniform cooling);
- Showcases with static cooling. The natural movement of cold air is used (used to cool confectionery, cheese, sausage and other products in the open).
- Opened or closed storefronts that are used in self-service mode:
- Open showcase. The main advantage – convenient format for contact with the consumer, easy availability of products. At night, such showcases are closed with a night blind.
- Closed showcase or showcase with a door. Used with built-in hinged or sliding doors. The main advantage – significant reduction in cooling losses and energy savings.
- Placement and type of products
Wall-mounted refrigerated display cases, which are used in self-service mode, are placed along the walls of the retail space, usually lined up in showcase lines.
Depending on the type of products, they select the appropriate type of showcases in each department of the retail space. By type of product used:
- vertical medium temperature display cases, which are usually used for dairy products, drinks, packaged sausages, etc.;
- vertical low-temperature showcases are used to display frozen semi-finished products, seafood and other frozen products;
- horizontal gastronomic display cases are used to display and sell cheeses, sausages, meat products, seafood in bulk or are used in self-service mode for products in packaged form;
- confectionery showcases are used to display confectionery products in the form of cakes and other confectionery products and can be used not only in the trading floors of shops and supermarkets, but also in HoReCa establishments.
The variety of types of showcases makes the choice more difficult, since it is necessary to take into account all the features and stop at the best option. Before you buy equipment, you need to take into account the characteristics of the devices.
Characteristics of showcases
New modern showcases – one of the indicators of business success, the owner's concern for customers. In order for the choice to meet all the requirements, when buying, you should consider:
- appearance and design – affect the customer's shopping experience;
- noise level from a working device in the trading floor – for a retail outlet, this factor can become significant;
- dimensions – large dimensions allow you to increase the display of goods, but take up a lot of space, before buying it is better to weigh the parameters of the planned traffic, the specialization of the outlet and choose the option that is more priority;
- power saving level – in conditions of high prices for electricity and the work in the hall of other devices powered by the network, the issue is very relevant;
- cost – depends on many factors, such as the level of materials and components used, manufacturability, a set of options, dimensions, power of the chiller.
Choosing the right supplier – a guarantee of not only reliability, but also, in many cases, democratic prices.
The choice of a refrigerated display case for grocery retail largely depends on the format of outlets and planned sales volumes, as well as – on budget and other parameters. The main thing is to choose a supplier during the purchase process, which will help determine the model that best suits all requests. A reliable company supplying commercial equipment will be the best assistant in the process of completing the store, including when choosing refrigerated display cases.
Company "OLTEBA" - offers complex solutions for the equipment of grocery stores of various sizes and formats. Many years of experience in the field of commercial refrigeration equipment allows us to fulfill orders at a high professional level. We offer our customers qualified advice, delivery, installation of refrigeration and other commercial equipment, including refrigerated display cases. The company has experience in completing both small retail outlets and large chains. We are able to work with complex tasks, and take into account all the wishes of the client. It is safe with us.
