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WAKEFERN/SHOPRITE RETAIL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
PROFILE
Solar panels at ShopRite of Clinton, NJ. Currently, 14 ShopRite stores have solar panels; all go back into the grid and save about 10 percent on energy costs.
the investment.”
As of now, 14 ShopRite stores have
solar panels; all go back into the grid and save about 10 percent on energy costs, according to Henning. And one of our Wakefern facilities has 8,000 solar panels covering 330,000 square feet, accounting for a 20 percent reduction in energy costs.
“Our engineers work with each store and evaluate whether solar energy is a viable option,” he says. There are all kinds of considerations: zoning laws, financial ramifications, beautification laws, and myriad of rules and regulations.
“Glass Gardens is cognizant of the envi- ronment, and in our case, we can do something with solar panels that produces a benefit for the environment as well as a financial payoff — and it works well. Glass Gardens is always into saving money, but we’re encouraged when we can also do the right thing.”
CHARLES CULVER, director of energy and sustainable develop- ment, ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
About ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc. (SRS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wakefern Food Corporation. When established in September 1986, SRS consisted of just four stores. Currently, the SRS family consists of 33 stores in New York and New Jersey, headed by Dave Figurelli, president and chief operating officer.
As director of energy and sustainable development since 2010, Charles Culver
says he witnessed the beginning of a cultural metamorphosis, not just inside ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc. but throughout the entire cooperative, affecting associates at all levels, as well as the super- market industry in general.
“Many companies now have full time Energy and Sustainability Departments that don’t just focus on utility procurement and environmental issues but instead pursue valuable efficiency initiatives that contribute to the corporate bottom line,” he says.
“For us, conservation and sustainable initiatives have become a staple of every remodel or new store project we do now at ShopRite. That was largely unheard of just a few years ago. Today, we choose equip- ment that doesn’t just satisfy our merchants’ requirements for product pres- entation and food safety, but that is also energy efficient.
“We design our store décor around using repurposed materials where possible and design lighting systems that make use of natural light and energy-efficient fixtures. We look to deploy distributed refrigeration systems where we can place the system closer to the cases and we began using glycol secondary systems for medium temperature applications to further that goal.
“Whether energy-efficient lighting, HVAC or refrigeration system modifications, my department is constantly looking for ways to apply new technologies to our existing stores and future stores.
The entire industry is evolving, and we want to be at the forefront of that evolu- tion,” he says.
In that spirit, the company decided to venture into electric car charging stations
for its customers. “We chose the town of Niskayuna [NY] to launch our first car charging stations because we wanted to offer a service that we felt was lacking. The vehicle charging stations were part of a rounded approach to revitalize an existing former supermarket building and shopping center, and to transform it into a destina- tion site.”
The two charging stations, installed near the store’s entrances, can simultaneously charge four cars. “This offers our customers the ability to charge their cars while they shop. We don’t charge for the service in Niskayuna, and there are no diffi- cult directions to follow or payments to process. The customer simply plugs their car into the unit and it turns on,” he says.
Operating the chargers has really been maintenance-free so far, he says. Since there are no payment procedures to follow, the training is very minimal. “Also, it seems that most people who own electric vehicles are fairly tech savvy, so that has not been an issue at all,” he says.
It is difficult to say how much use the chargers get, according to Culver. “Since we do not charge for the service it becomes challenging to track our units.”
Feedback from customers has been positive, he says. “We received words of encouragement from customers that shop with us in Niskayuna because of the car chargers. We learned that although there is not a high demand for vehicle charging stations, they are still a viable customer service and a responsible investment in the future.”
Along those same lines, as more and more electric vehicles hit the roads, the cost of charging equipment should continue to fall, hopefully enticing more businesses and corporations to make the investment to bolster the infrastructure, according to Culver.
Based on the pilot program’s results in Niskayuna, “We are looking to expand our offering to two additional stores as part of an initiative funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to expand the EV charging infrastructure in New York State.”
Culver highlights a few current initiative specifics to the produce department:
We made the switch to LED track lighting in nearly all of our produce depart- ments. By next year this time, we hope to have every store completed. We were a
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