The takeover of Casino shops by Intermarché has made headlines in recent years, particularly in France. Against this background, the Casino supermarket in Port Fréjus, located near the beach in an increasingly residential area, has become an Intermarché Express.
In May 2024, Denis Phan-Van bought the 1,200 m2 store and had plans to develop it over the coming months to become the go-to place in this catchment area, for fresh produce, where convenience stores are few and far between.
« My aim is to generate 60% of my turnover from fresh produce by increasing the number of sales lines in a way that can be adjusted according to the season » says the manager of this new Intermarché.
He introduced the “FabMag” concept from the Les Mousquetaires brand, while retaining a butcher’s shop. With a prominent Place des Saveurs, giving pride of place to fresh produce at the supermarket entrance, the introduction of this concept required a complete overhaul of the shop layout and, as a result, the refrigeration systems, particularly those using R-404A, which were outdated, leaking and soon to become obsolete under the F-Gas III regulations.
Last autumn, the manager of the Intermarché, who already owned a unit in Saint Raphaël, consulted his long-standing partner Frigevar about the refrigeration systems available on the market that would meet his needs and stay within his budget.
« For hypermarkets, the trend is towards CO2, but for stores of this size, refrigeration represents a significant financial outlay and this option is no longer within our budget » explains Denis Phan-Van.
Installer Frigevar recommends R-455A
Informed and supported by Yohann Tabaszewski, Key Account Manager at Climalife, Sébastien Aviat, Managing Partner of Frigevar, prefers low-pressure A2L refrigerants, that all refrigeration technicians are familiar with and can work with safely. With a GWP of less than 150, R-455A is a long-term solution that complies with regulatory requirements, is efficient, environmentally friendly and easy to install.
What’s more, the financial investment for R-455A installations remains lower, making it possible to meet specifications while optimising the energy efficiency of refrigeration installations (see eco-efficiency simulation).
After a theoretical study of the authorised charge carried out by Pierre-Emmanuel Danet, Technical Support Manager at Climalife, Sébastien Aviat presented this alternative to Denis Phan-Van and assured him of the safety aspect of this mildly flammable refrigerant.
« I had never heard of this gas before, it was a first for me, but I took the plunge thanks to the sound advice of everyone involved in the project » explains the new owner of the Intermarché Express.
After consulting various component suppliers, Sébastien Aviat opted for custom-made units manufactured by Le Froid Pecomark in Spain and chose to work with Arneg, the international leader in the design and manufacture of refrigerated cabinets, approved for A2L refrigerants. At the end of December, the project was signed off and the parties involved began planning the renovation of the supermarket, bearing in mind that the store would have to remain open throughout the works. This was a major challenge for Frigevar’s technicians.
Optimised energy efficiency for medium temperature refrigeration
The main installation, located outside the building, consists of two Silent Twin condensing units, enclosed and soundproofed, each equipped with two semi-hermetic Bitzer compressors, one of which can vary power from 10 to 100%, for a cooling capacity of 33 kW at -10°C. This configuration provides redundancy for safety reasons and to meet the future needs of the store. Each unit is charged with 40 kg of R-455A.
The first unit mainly supplies the five 100 m² cold rooms dedicated to the butcher’s department for storing carcasses, finished products, the meat cutting room, the display of aged meats, and tallow and waste, as well as some open units and part of the vertical units. In the event of leaks, the cold rooms are equipped with an audible alarm controlling a double solenoid valve system for each Friga Bohn evaporator.
The other vertical units, Aveyron-style units and tra-ditional display cabinets are managed by the second condensing unit.
It was easy to get up and running, even though this was the first time Frigevar technicians had worked with R-455A. The choice of Solstice® L40X means that the future can be approached with confidence, reducing total cost of ownership by more than 20% and environmental impact by almost 15%. It is the perfect solution for small and medium-sized retail outlets.
« Since the significant reduction in quotas, the market has been in turmoil, even though A2L refrigerants have been available for some time and are widely used in many applications » concludes Sébastien Aviat, CEO of Frigevar.
Please note: some old refrigeration equipment was re-tained to reduce costs, such as the low temperature cold room for the bakery as well as three cold rooms in the storeroom used for storing fresh produce, fruit and vege-tables and the delivery airlock. The same goes for the air conditioning: the two Daikin R-410A VRVs were retained, with only the extraction vents moved above the new units installed in the sales area.
Eco-efficiency simulation for the main R-455A system compared to a CO2 system for :
- a 15 year system lifetime.
- an estimated leakage rate of 20% for a R-744 installation.
- an estimated leakage rage of 10% for a R-455A installation.
From left to right: Sébastien Aviat, Yohann Tabaszewski (Key Account Manager at Climalife), Nicolas Soudre (Le Froid Pecomark), Norbert Kathapermall and members of the Frigevar team who took part in the installation.