Are Robots the Future of Grocery Stores?
The evolution in the food retail industry as we know it has completely changed over the past few months. E-commerce stores have shot up, automation has been widely adopted in the food retail industry to keep up with the demands of consumers and technology has significantly impacted our industry for the better. Now, with the proliferation of intelligent machines in the food retail industry hoping to improve operations, are robots the future of grocery stores? Here are some of the reasons why they may be: Addition to Your Workforce Investing in robots for retail operations free up store associates on [...]
The Future is Accelerated: Full-on E-commerce Adoption is Just Around the Corner
The past few months have accelerated the digital strategies of some food retailers in the country. Some implemented makeshift e-commerce platforms to cater to customer needs and some reinforced their in-store online initiatives, like store mobile apps, in the hope of adapting in today’s innovative times. Due to recent events, we were greatly propelled into a shift to the digital world, but what are food-retailers doing to prepare themselves for the e-commerce revolution? Food Retailers are Getting Agile E-commerce sales records continue to surge this year. Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey recorded up to $7.2 billion of e-commerce grocery [...]
What Would You Give for a Truly “Future-Proof” Investment
“Change is the only constant in life.” Somewhere along the line, most of us have heard that saying. After all, it’s been around a long time — a matter of fact, most people would never guess that the author was a Greek pioneer of wisdom named Heraclitus who lived around 500 BC in the days before Plato and Aristotle. It’s hard to argue that the statement is anything but an unequivocal truism. We face changes every day of our lives. The impact of those changes on each of us can run the gamut from negligible to life-altering. Ignoring the inevitable [...]
CARB GWP Refrigerants Ban – Frequently Asked Questions
The California Air Resource Board (CARB) passed a ruling to ban certain high GWP refrigerants, effective JANUARY 1st 2020. Many food retail companies have questions regarding these regulations. The following Q&A should help clarify the type of equipment effected and the timelines involved. If you need more information email us at info@hillphoenix.com or call us at 770-285-3264. Q1: What is the effective date for this regulation? A: The original ruling went into effect on 1/1/2019. The effective dates provided in the table above refer to the date a Purchase Order was received for the equipment. Self-Contained Medium-Temperature Units with a [...]
Food Retail Stores and Government Agencies Establishing More Stringent Regulations
Food-retail business strategies have shifted over the past few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some retail stores implemented online digital platforms to serve their communities in need and some food-retail establishments such as restaurants and brick and mortar shops implemented delivery and take out only to help keep the lights on. However, in grocery stores, where people still go for essentials, shopping as we know it has changed. In-store navigation altered drastically to abide by state regulations and prioritize consumer safety concerns. As the pandemic evolves, so does grocery shopping regulations and restrictions. The Case for Grocery Stores Social [...]
Working From Home 101 – Working Outside of the Office Requires Focus and Strategy
The workplace today has changed for the time being due to the recent challenges we are faced with and, for some of us, working from home is unchartered territory. Not only are we dealing with communicating with our customers and colleagues differently, but for some of us, we also have a spouse /partner /children sharing space and either working or struggling with the end of the current school year and trying to find balance. We are not alone in what is going on today, but there are ways to make working from home a little easier, so the transition is [...]
Dover Food Retail Communication on the April 7th Ruling on EPA SNAP
The US EPA enacted SNAP rules 20 & 21, intended to reduce green house gas emissions SNAP 20 & 21 were vacated as the result of a suit filed against the EPA by Mexichem Fluor On April 7th, 2020 the US Court of Appeals ruled in favor of reinstating portions of SNAP 20 & 21 The impact of this ruling on GWP regulations is unclear, but Dover Food Retail recommends and supports the use of low GWP refrigerants whenever possible While the future is uncertain, Dover Food Retail will continue to monitor the situation and provide regulatory compliant refrigeration options [...]
DOE Compliance Day Approaches for Walk-in Coolers and Freezers
With final enforcement dates quickly approaching, many OEMs are now eying the DOE deadlines with new urgency and making the necessary design changes needed to comply. It’s been more than two years since the commercial refrigeration industry has faced a major regulatory deadline from the Department of Energy (DOE). Since 2017, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of new stand-alone, reach-in equipment. Read More>
CO2 Booster Systems Explained
Advances in technology have made the use of environmentally friendly CO2 refrigerant in booster systems practical across a wide range of applications. Since early this decade, supermarkets in North America have increasingly been coming to rely on these systems. Industrial operators are also beginning to appreciate their advantages. But not everyone understands how they work. Since the middle of the last decade, CO2 has been used as a refrigerant in both secondary and cascade-type systems across the grocery and supermarket industry. These approaches rely on CO2 as either a single-phase secondary coolant, or as a lower cascade direct expansion refrigerant. [...]
Simplified Lunch – Where Flavor and Convenience Collide to Appease the Family Divide
Let’s be perfectly honest, kids would much rather have the option to eat “kid-friendly” foods than what grown-ups are eating. That pre-packaged snack meal or peanut butter and jelly sandwich are much more appealing than a salad, hummus, and vegetables or yogurt with fruit. Eating a healthy meal is imperative for growing children and providing that conveniently and on-the-go can sometimes be a challenge. With grab-n-go on the rise, and the more time-starved consumers have become, eating healthy and eating foods we LOVE was recently served up at IDDBA19! The perfect lunch concept was presented for “Work Lunches” targeted to adults [...]