EuroShop 2023 Brings Focus to Energy Management

(PRESS RELEASE) The EHI Study “Energy Management in Retail in 2022” shows that retailers have succeeded in further reducing their heating energy and electricity consumption. Many investments have already been made in modern refrigeration technology. The state-of-the-art in this area and a host of forward-looking solutions can be found in the Refrigeration & Energy Management Dimension at EuroShop 2023, The World’s No.1 Retail Trade Fair (February 26 – March 2, 2023, in Düsseldorf, Germany).

Retailers have been increasing energy efficiency for years in order to keep their energy costs as low as possible. Massive investments have been made in modern refrigeration technology, thus steadily reducing energy consumption in relation to sales area for years. In the consumption year 2021, food retailers consumed 308 kWh per square meter of retail space, according to the results of the EHI Retail Institute study “Energy Management in Retail in 2022” in the D-A-CH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region. For heating, 84 kWh were consumed per square meter of sales space. In the same year, non-food retail required 91 kWh of electricity and 48 kWh of heating energy per square meter for operating its sales areas.

More Use of Waste Heat and Heat Pumps

However, the high-consumption food retail formats with refrigeration units in the fresh food segments and with bakery shops managed to reduce their power consumption by 1.9% compared to the previous year. Heat consumption, which is partly based on estimates by study participants, was down by 4.2% against the previous year’s values. Compared to the 2020 survey, food retailers now use significantly more waste heat (2020: 16% coverage) and heat pumps (2020: 5% coverage). The coverage of thermal energy demand with gas has decreased significantly in comparison (2020: share of coverage 60%).

Rising Procurement Costs

Energy costs, however, have currently reached a level that nobody could have foreseen and the prospects are not good.  After all, a large part of the gas and power supply contracts expired in the 4th quarter of 2022. So retail is now facing a considerable additional burden due to rising energy prices.

Short-Term Solutions for Cost Reduction

For the majority of retailers there are several ways to cut costs. One option for becoming independent of fluctuating costs is to use renewable energies in the longer term. A first step in this direction is sourcing green power. At best, retailers can use their own power, generated by their own PV installations on the roof of the premises. In recent years, a lot has happened in this area in retail. 61% of the retail areas are already operated with 100% green power.

Overall, large sums have been invested in energy efficiency measures in recent years. According to the EHI survey, investments pay off for 9% of retailers after just one to two years on average. For  45% of retailers, the refurbishment costs have paid for themselves after three to four years. With rising energy purchase prices, the payback periods could come down even further in the future.

EuroShop Dimension Refrigeration & Energy Management

At EuroShop 2023, the Refrigeration & Energy Management Dimension occupies four halls. A total of 290 international exhibitors will  occupy approximately 30,000 square feet net exhibition space in Halls 14 – 17 of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre. They will cover the complete range of innovative solutions, products and concepts on the following thematic fields: refrigerated cabinets such as chest freezers, upright freezers and refrigeration systems, solutions for cooling control and heat exchange, air-conditioning, smart building management, heating of stores as well as monitoring and control systems for everything related to energy in the company. In this context, energy and sustainability are closely linked. In addition to their product ranges, the major refrigeration cabinet in particular will offer extensive lecture programs on sustainability and energy efficiency at their booths. Furthermore, these topics will also be addressed in a number of lectures presented on the Store Design Stage, such as “Future Proof Electrical Store Installation” and “Co₂ Tracking in Retail – Importance & Potentials Data as a Driving Force for Sustainable Transformation”.

About EuroShop

About 1,800 exhibitors from 55 countries will present their latest products and forward-looking solutions specifically for retail on over 100,000 square meters net exhibit space at EuroShop 2023.   EuroShop will be open to trade visitors from February 26 to March 2, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily. Tickets are only available online at www.euroshop.de/2130.  1-day tickets cost € 70, 2-day tickets € 120  and  5-day tickets € 165. For the online EuroShop magazine: https://mag.euroshop.de/en. For information about the EHI Study: www.ehi.org/themen/klima-energie/

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at EuroShop 2023, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit euroshop-tradefair.com and mdna.com.