The largest privately owned supermarket chain in Southern California, San Bernardino based Stater Bros markets has recently completed a retro-fit installation of Econofrost woven aluminum heat reflective night covers onto all of their open refrigerated display cases in all 165 stores. A 36% reduction in energy consumption per hour the covers are used and a significant improvement in perishable product appearance and reduction in shrink are key reasons behind the initiative but even more important Stater Bros are committed to serving their community. Saving energy is an important part of that commitment. Unprecedented growth in residential and commercial development throughout.
Southern California’s inland empire has continued to tax an already strained electricity distribution grid. That combined with energy prices which show no sign of stabilizing or lowering, pushed Stater Bros management to consider many different solutions for controlling costs and reducing risk. They found Econofrost night covers gave them the “bang for their buck” they needed. Energy savings of 36% per hour used along with a rapid response capability to protecting perishable product in the event of a power interruption or brown out made economic sense to Stater Bros management team. However, during the course of extensive testing, additional benefits were uncovered that even further justified the investment: significantly reduced shrink and discard in perishable departments and such dramatically improved product appearance and integrity, Econofrost night covers were an obvious choice. With a variety of brands of night covers available, the management team at Stater Bros had to consider which product would provide them the greatest performance and value along with the least number of maintenance “headaches” while also achieving their expectations for savings. To do this they launched a program of in-store testing that compared price, performance, service and aesthetics of a number of brands, including Econofrost.
Although Econofrost night covers were considerably more expensive than other brands tested they were found to be more robust, delivered the greatest performance and ease of use and had a much longer serviceable life. Their cost, it was felt, could be amortized over a much longer period of time than other brands, meaning a much better ROI. As a partner in their community, Stater Bros Markets are doing their part to conserve energy while contributing in a very significant way to their own “bottom line”. A real win-win for everyone!
