Community retailer Scotmid Co-operative has adopted aerofoil technology for their chilled food cabinets, a move that will deliver transformative savings in energy costs and carbon emissions as well as improving the retail experience for shoppers.
Scotmid Development Project Manager David Greenshields said: “By lowering our energy consumption, Aerofoils will make a significant contribution to our target reduction in gross emissions of 30% by 2020. Aerofoils are therefore a major component in our corporate environmental strategy.”
The initiative is led by Impact Shopfitting, who specified aerofoil technology for the retailer after excellent feedback from store trials. Impact will manage the installation of aerofoils in Scotmid’s 186 convenience stores across Scotland and the North of England. Derek Wilson, Operations Director for Impact Shopfitting, said: “Scotmid have had aerofoils installed in several locations for some time now, and we were impressed by their robustness and customer-friendly aesthetics, in addition to their energy performance.”
Aerofoils were conceived and developed by Aerofoil Energy in conjunction with WAE, part of the Williams Group that includes the Formula One racing team. They prevent cold air from spilling out of the refrigeration cabinet, resulting in lower energy use, fewer carbon emissions and warmer aisles in stores. Paul McAndrew, Aerofoil Energy Ltd CEO said: “Scotmid joins our rapidly growing list of UK and international clients that are benefiting from aerofoil technology. Our customers enjoy savings of up to 30% on refrigeration energy costs through this straightforward, cost-effective and retrofit solution.”
Aerofoil Energy worked closely with WAE to refine the original Aerofoil concept, using Williams’ proven expertise in aerodynamic design and testing from four decades of success in Formula One racing. The aerofoil product has won multiple awards recognising its innovative nature and was most recently a finalist with the Royal Academy of Engineering for their MacRobert Award, the UK’s most prestigious and longest-running engineering prize.
