As more retailers evaluate how to modernize refrigeration, the conversation is shifting from theory to execution. The question is no longer whether CO₂ has a place in the future of refrigeration, but how to apply it in ways that work for real store layouts, budgets and project timelines. Most refrigeration upgrades do not start with a blank sheet of paper. [...]
Nothing kills your store’s festive atmosphere (or profit margins) faster than a refrigeration system or display case failure. If a busy shopper enters your store looking for premade sides and frozen pies the week before Thanksgiving, you can’t let them down with spoiled products or empty shelves caused by refrigeration problems. There’s one simple trick food retailers should know to [...]
Conyers, GA — Hillphoenix, part of Dover Food Retail and a leader in sustainable cooling technology, today announced the launch of Advansor FlexONE™, a compact CO2 condensing unit engineered to deliver a flexible refrigeration solution for modern food retail and industrial applications. The new condensing unit (CDU) is designed to help end users modernize refrigeration infrastructure by reducing reliance on [...]
Learn how to create food retail merchandising that boosts lagging bakery category performance.
Rising grocery costs and a greater focus on balancing convenience and nutrition have driven measurable growth in frozen foods. With frozen sales up year-over-year, food retailers can leverage insights and key trends to create a frozen merchandising strategy that boosts basket size, share of stomach and shopper loyalty. 2026 Food Retailer’s Guide to Frozen Merchandising features actionable takeaways from a [...]
Inflation is shifting consumer mealtime behavior, opening up new opportunities for food retailers. Rising restaurant prices and takeout costs are pushing consumers on a budget to rethink dining out. On the other hand, cooking from scratch is time-consuming and it doesn’t always fit into busy schedules. Enter the “Third Way”: foodservice at retail. Consumers are increasingly turning to hot bars, [...]
There were 5,120 supermarkets with transcritical CO2 (R744) refrigeration systems in North America (Canada and the United States) in 2025. While that’s just 6% of all supermarkets in North America, CO2 refrigeration has been growing rapidly in the sector, with installations jumping roughly 75% from 2023 to 2025. All of this growth has been driven almost entirely by racks, and [...]
Inflation is fundamentally rewriting the retail breakfast, lunch and dinner playbook. Some consumers are becoming exhausted by restaurant menu price inflation, service fees and tipping fatigue. On the other hand, cooking every meal from scratch can also be exhausting and it’s far from convenient. Shoppers are discovering “The Third Way.” It’s not cooking, and it’s not dining out. It’s retail [...]
DeCicco & Sons, which operates 11 high-end supermarkets in Westchester and Putnam counties, New York (north of New York City), is opening in May its first Connecticut store in Greenwich, its seventh new store to be equipped with transcritical CO2 (R744) refrigeration in the past decade, along with two converted stores. Only three stores remain without CO2, and those will [...]
Today more than ever, shoppers are eating dinner at home. A whopping 4 out of 5 people prepare dinner at home at least 4 nights a week, and more than 1 in 4 prepare dinner at home every night, according to the latest The Power of Foodservice at Retail Report. With more shoppers eating at home, meal planning is on [...]
