Londis retailers are investing more in their stores, with spend on refits up 12 per cent since the start of the year as Londis drives down the cost of store developments by 15 per cent over the last 18 months. So far this year Londis has completed 100 development projects with retailers investing a total of £4.3 million in refits. Around 45 per cent of this spend is on new refrigeration equipment.
The 100th development was completed at Anne and Mark Trinder’s store in Stone, Staffordshire. They invested £85,000 to redevelop their store, where a major part of the investment was in energy efficient equipment, including new chillers for fresh produce, dairy, soft drinks and alcohol. Since the refit, chilled fresh food sales are up 20 per cent.
Says Paul Courtney, Londis Sales Director: “There’s been a strong focus on quality refits, with a marked increase in spend on best in class chilled equipment with the growing importance of fresh food to Londis retailers. Energy efficiency is key, with many of our retail partners benefitting from loans from the Carbon Trust.“
