The Carsley Group has invested in a Daikin Conveni-Pack cooling, refrigeration and heating system for its Cromwell Services convenience store.

Located on the A1 near Newark, the site was overhauled in the spring. The old petrol station and shop were demolished and replaced with a modern offer including a 1,600sq ft Londis store.

A site evaluation identified the potential of a ’relax and revive’ area and with this in mind, the new store has a dedicated coffee and bakery area with tables as well as an internet lounge with comfortable seating.

To ensure a really relaxing environment, it was essential that the areas had comfortable air conditioning all year round and so the Conveni-Pack was chosen.

One unit was required to provide both the refrigeration and heating needs for the new store.

This provides a refrigeration capacity of 17kw (needed for the number of chilled cabinets installed), and enough heating and air conditioning (25kw for heating and 14kw for cooling) to ensure the climate control across the whole store was good even on really hot days.

The system was designed to provide the coffee shop and bakery area with ducted air at just the right temperature. There is also an over-door fan unit at the front entrance door and five other ducted air distributors strategically placed around the shop to ensure that the whole shopfloor is consistently comfortable.

The system comes with 24-hour remote monitoring so it is constantly checked. If performance starts to drop, the monitoring system will report immediately, taking remedial action and preventing failure.

Daikin says Conveni-Pack should deliver energy savings when compared to traditionally-installed refrigeration and heating systems.

The company reckons the Carsley Group can expect payback on their investment in three years.

Carsley Group managing director, Keith Carsley, says: "We had a specific concept for the service area shop. We wanted to have an environment where customers could make the experience of visiting a motorway service area one they would enjoy. In the past such visits were like going to the dentist, essential but unpleasant. With the installation of Conveni-Pack, combined with the concept we developed, the Cromwell Service area is truly a ’relax and revive’ experience for our customers as well as being a profitable addition to the Carsley Group of forecourt stores."

The Carsley Group was formed in 1994 and now has 11 forecourts.

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