Refrigeration is KING!

For almost 60 years, the Jordon Group have been specialising in refrigeration. It is the beating heart of what we do. So, when an award-winning, independent supermarket, café and function caterer in North Dorset contacted us to discuss all things refrigeration, our heart naturally skipped a beat.

Twelve months on, we caught up with our wonderful clients at Dike & Son to reflect on their new equipment and how it has been working for them post-installation. Join us as we explore Dike & Son’s refrigeration equipment upgrade, and the impact it has had upon the business.

Following their last refrigeration installation in 2007 and the ever-increasing energy hikes, Dike & Son decided they needed an overhaul to make their business more sustainable. Adam Vincent (Director) explains…

“We knew we needed to do something. Our fridges were 17 years old, and our pre-Russia and Ukraine energy term was coming to an end.”

The decision to upgrade their refrigeration equipment wasn’t one taken lightly. Typically, the cost to replace equipment and the closure of the business is off putting to most. Retailers are understandably concerned about affordability and payback times, meaning they ‘make do’ with sub-standard refrigeration which is costly to run and maintain. Dike & Son saw past this however, as Adam continued…

“We saw the outlay was an investment in the business above anything else”

To avoid closure during the project and reduce disruption, The Jordon Group planned to work around the business. The team of engineers worked tirelessly, both before and after store opening times, and throughout the day by sectioning off different zones of the shop floor.

Darren Atkins, Service Manager at The Jordon Group commented,

“We had to complete each section of the install daily, regardless of the time it took us. Sometimes we worked until midnight to make sure we were ready to start the next the following day. We had to follow the schedule of works religiously otherwise it would have thrown the whole job off."

The project took three weeks from start to finish and was delivered on time. This included the removal and disposal of the old equipment, replacing the equipment in the existing cold rooms, the installation of 62.5 metres of energy efficient Arneg Osaka display chillers with doors, 5 remote Arneg Astana display freezers consisting of 23 doors, and 6 energy efficient inverter Area condensing units, all fitted with RDM digital controllers.

Darren added, “we couldn’t have imagined the kindness and generosity of the whole team at Dike & Son whilst we were there, they looked after us like we were family.”

Fast forward to September 2024 when we caught up with Adam, who told us that Dike & Son had got a lot more than they’d bargained for with the new refrigeration equipment…

“We’re saving a lot of money on energy, around 7,000 units of electricity each month which equates to around ￡3k a month, but it’s a lot more than that”

Adam explained…

“What we didn’t expect was the reaction from the customers about how much more comfortable they are! The shop was cold before. We always had the heating on. It was constant battle between the cold of the fridges and the heat from the heating and the staff wore fleeces all year round. But now, the customers can spend as much time as they like shopping and we haven’t seen any sight of the fleeces!

We feel like we’ve had a complete re-fit, the fridges look stunning and the lighting bounces around the whole store. Another massive benefit is the amount of shelving space we’ve gained and space for stock, plus the doors are a massive deterrent for shoplifters”.

During the planning process of the project, it was highlighted by Paul Jordon (MD The Jordon Group) that if the configuration of the shelving was amended it was possible to gain 21 more shelves in total, giving major added benefits for stock display.

To conclude, there are many factors to consider when deciding whether it is time for a refrigeration equipment upgrade. Not only does the equipment choice seem daunting, but also the time and costs involved. What is key however, is to choose a reputable company who will offer sound advice, quality products and attentive after-sales service.? ?

Our thanks go to Adam and the entire team at Dike & Son for choosing us as their refrigeration specialists, may your customers and staff continue to be happy!

For impartial advice on refrigeration, air conditioning and shopfitting, why not make our heart skip another beat… contact the Jordon Group here.