German retail chain Edeka has chosen a transcritical CO2 refrigeration solution for a recently refurbished store in Herne, western Germany, prioritizing its energy efficiency and small footprint.

The refurbished store, which operates under the Edeka Krüger brand, reopened in March 2021. Its transcritical CO2 rack, from IKT, a subsidiary of Arneg Deutschland GmbH, features heat recovery for warm-water production.

Edeka is a retailer with a century-long history and a wide variety of cooling needs, operating discount stores, local shops, and wholesale outlets. The company also does in-house production of fresh baked goods and meat products, and several types of own-brand packaged goods.

In addition to a focus on an energy-efficient and small-footprint refrigeration system, Edeka was keen for the refurbished shop to present a high aesthetic design and have great product visibility, according to Daniela Capiozzo, Marketing & Communications at Arneg.

To achieve this goal, Edeka chose a variety of cabinets from Arneg, including units from its OSAKA 3 LX series. The OSAKA is a vertical refrigerated cabinet with glass doors, equipped with low-consumption fans, LED lights, adjustable shelves and “full vision” doors.

The OSAKA also includes the patented Arneg Air System technology, which is developed to ensure a constant food temperature, no defrosting cycles and a 37% lower energy consumption than “standard” cabinets, said Arneg.

The shop wasn’t just furnished with a new refrigeration system and cabinets; it was also outfitted with new shelving, LED lighting, ceilings and checkout counters. The heating and ventilation system remains from the old store.

In total the new store has:

  • 40m (131ft) glass-door medium-temperature cabinets (for dairy, sausages, beverages) 
  • 8m (26.2ft) vertical low-temperature cabinets 
  • 12m (39.4ft) low-temperature twin island 
  • 12m (39.4ft) serve-over counter 
  • 7.5m (24.6ft) promotional island