A refurbished Spar Athienitis shop in Harare, Zimbabwe, has installed the MINI BOOSTER, a transcritical CO2 rack from Italian OEM Arneg’s South African division, replacing condensing units, according to a statement from the manufacturer.
With a total of five compressors, three for “normal” temperature and two for low temperature, and supported by an additional parallel compressor, the rack is able to refrigerate 27 cabinets and 10 cold rooms “despite the difficulties imposed by the high temperatures of sub-Saharan summers,” said Arneg.
Spar chose to replace small condensing units with a single central unit that “would optimise consumption by reducing the number of motors required,” Arneg added.
With regard to the refrigeration system, “We are happy to have been able to take part in such an important project from the point of view of social development,” said Arneg, adding that the renovation was an opportunity for education and technical growth for local operators.
The Spar store reopened in August after a USD1-million renovation project that began in mid-2021. “This project was carefully designed to meet the customer’s demand for a store that was energy efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Arneg.
Spar is a Dutch company that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. As of 2021, Spar encompassed 13 623 stores in 48 countries.
In addition to the CO2 rack, Arneg South Africa provided cabinets to the store, including Arles serve-over counters, Panama 3 LX and Osaka 3 LX upright cabinets, and Toronto 4P low-temperature refrigerated counters. Open cabinets were reduced to a minimum to “ensure maximum efficiency,” said Arneg. The cabinets come with shelving from Intrac.
The closed upright cabinets are able to use the Arneg Air System technology, which optimises energy efficiency by using air blades that ensure that the difference in temperature between the various food products on display never exceeds 2°C.