The Pros and Cons of Getting a Commercial Display Fridge

Commercial display fridges are utilised to provide a balance between achieving the optimum temperature for your products, and ensuring it is well displayed, appealing and enticing for your customers. Common in many industries, particularly in supermarkets, food retailers and bakeries, commercial display fridges play a key role in both keeping your product fresh and making sure it sells.

What’s A Commercial Display Fridge?

An umbrella term used to describe a wide range of equipment and refrigeration services, a commercial display fridge is typically a cold display cabinet, either at a chilled or freezing temperature, that offers consistent visual access to its content through a glass door, lid or hygiene guard. Coming in shops, supermarkets and food retailers, commercial display fridges will often hold food, drinks, dairy products and other assorted fresh produce to ensure it is both presentable, appealing and at the optimum temperature.

Types Of Commercial Display Fridge

There are several different types of commercial display fridges available on the market today, depending on the requirement or industry. Below, we take a closer look at just some of the key types of commercial display fridges utilised across different industries and how they can play a major role in improving design, efficiency and sales.

Display Fridges/Freezers

An ideal solution for self-service in supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, display fridges and freezers provide an excellent view of the current products available, displaying them in an aesthetically pleasing manner that entices customers. Restaurants and bakeries will often use display fridges/freezers to showcase their products and attract customers. You will also typically find display fridges in small shops and supermarkets, often for Coca-Cola and other fizzy drinks, whilst display freezers will typically include frozen meats, vegetables and dairy products.

In scenarios where a large capacity of frozen goods need to be on display, you could consider an island freezer, which is not dissimilar to a classic-chest freezer only without the obstruction of visibility. Instead, you will have a transparent, glass lid which can be lifted with ease, which will only need to be opened when a customer has spotted the product they require.

Bottle/Wine Coolers

Extremely commonplace in pubs, bars and restaurants up and down the country, wine and bottle coolers are the perfect display solution for your chilled beverages. Often installed behind the bar, a bottle/wine cooler display fridge will provide your customers with a clear indication of your current range of drinks available, all whilst ensuring they remain at the optimum temperature.

Multi Decks

Sometimes referred to as open front chillers, multidecks are an ideal solution for ‘grab and go’ produce, such as sandwiches, drinks, fruit and refrigerated snacks. They have multiple tiers with well organised and displayed produce to entice customers and encourage self-service. Perfect for maintaining an inviting aesthetic with an optimum temperature, multidecks are highly commonplace.

Cake Display Refrigerator

Occasionally referred to as ‘patisserie displays’, cake display refrigerators are perfect for showcasing your luxury cakes, chocolates and pastries. As with the above examples, an effective, impactful and well-designed layout of produce visible through a commercial display fridge is an excellent way of inviting your customer in and improving the chances of sales.

Deli/Cheese Counter

Many independent shops and commercial supermarkets are utilising display fridges as a means to showcase their fresh deli meats and cheeses. Typically positioned behind a counter, a commercial display fridge will offer your customers a clear visual of cured meats and specialist cheeses, drawing in customers and profit.

The Pros Of Getting A Commercial Display Fridge

Now we understand the purpose of commercial display fridges across different industries, let’s dig a little deeper and take a closer look at some of the essential benefits they provide and how:

Elegant Display

Display fridges are an exceptional method of showcasing your stock in an aesthetically pleasing manner, to offer the best possible chance of successful sales. Think about the commercial display fridges in your local supermarket, offering a clear visual of meats, cheeses, cakes, sandwiches, fruits, vegetables and more in a presentable, organised and attractive way. This is directly designed to entice customers and provide your business with the best possible chance of empty shelves and improved profits. Commercial display fridges are a great way of displaying your current bestsellers, offers, specials and new products in style.

Marketing

As an extension of your improved presentation, your commercial display fridge is ideal as a marketing tool for your new or existing products. When combined with a perfect layout and aesthetic, displaying your products in this manner will act as the perfect marketing tool to drive more sales. This can be particularly beneficial if you have new products, excess stock of an old product or a specific incentive you want to push, so always ensure your most valuable products are at eye level for customers.

Simple Cleaning

A key benefit of commercial display fridges is they’re incredibly easy to clean. Regular cleaning is imperative among all commercial refrigerators and can be a tricky, time-consuming job, but with display fridges, the glass and doors are extremely easy to clean. Better still, the transparency of your commercial display fridge will offer you a clear indication of when your fridge needs cleaning.

Efficiency

As suggested, a commercial display fridge offers unique transparency, meaning you won’t need to open and close your refrigerator repeatedly to check your current stock levels. This makes you far more energy-efficient than you would be with a standard refrigerator setup.

The Cons Of Getting A Commercial Display Fridge

Installing a commercial fridge isn’t always the ideal solution, however, with some noticeable drawbacks you must consider. Below we run through some of the cons of commercial display fridges and how this can affect certain industries or businesses in particular.

Size

Arguably the biggest downside of commercial display fridges is their size. Smaller than a standard commercial fridge and significantly smaller than a walk-in refrigerator, a commercial display fridge isn’t designed to contain large quantities of food or produce, instead, its aim is to provide a stylish, accessible point of contact for customers on the move.

Location

It’s not always possible to install a commercial display fridge at your place of business. Given it performs as both a storage container and a marketing tool, it must therefore be placed in a suitable location that accentuates these qualities. Quite large in size, a shop too small for a commercial display fridge may feel cramped and overwhelming, thus impacting your sales. Consider the location of your display fridge to ensure these qualities are seen as an advantage, not a distraction.

Condensation

A naturally occurring issue across most commercial fridges, condensation can be of particular concern for commercial display fridges, removing one of the key benefits of their design – visual accessibility. Condensation is hidden from sight in most commercial refrigerators, but with commercial display fridges, your display door could quickly become covered in condensation, ruining the aesthetic and efficiency you would ordinarily benefit from.

Ian Hobbs – Commercial Refrigeration Services Across The South West

If you’re looking for reliable, versatile refrigeration services for your commercial or industrial business, look no further than Ian Hobbs Technical Services Ltd. we’re proud to provide commercial refrigeration services right from the initial site survey, through to the installation and up to all servicing and maintenance work in the future.

We provide installations, maintenance and repairs alongside 24-hour emergency call-out services and solutions across the South West, including Bristol, Bath and beyond. Get in touch with our expert team today.