Phononic, a global leader in sustainable solid state cooling, and ShopRite, the supermarket banner that is part of Wakefern Food Corp., the nation’s largest retailer-owned supermarket cooperative, announced the successful launch of 2nd Freezer and Refrigerator Totes at the ShopRite in Fishkill, NY. Phononic’s Freezer and Refrigerator totes are used to pick, store and stage online orders and save space in-store. Phononic’s HFC-free actively-cooled totes also operate without traditional refrigerants, using technology that is more sustainable and cost effective.
Curbside and delivery grocery orders are more popular than ever, and grocers continue to innovate to meet consumer demand. Advancements in e-commerce and sustainable cooling technology, such as the new tri-temp tote picking, storage and staging system from Phononic, are an example of this. Supported with 24-7 information sharing capabilities, grocers are equipped with tote utilization, cold chain compliance and energy consumption data to maximize usage and efficiency.
“The recent launch of Phononic 2nd Generation ACS totes allowed us to create an Order. Pickup. Deliver. department in a store with a smaller building footprint. Local customers can now pick up their online orders at the store or have them delivered,” said Steve Savas, president, Shop-Rite Supermarkets, Inc. (SRS), which operates ShopRite stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Hudson Valley in New York. “We are always looking for opportunities to be at the forefront of innovation in digital commerce, and we are excited to be the first grocer in the nation with this technology.”
ShopRite’s launch of the Phononic 2nd Generation ACSTM Freezer and Refrigerator Tote solution at a New York store location has unlocked tangible gains, including:
Space Savings: Tote size and portability allowed a 70% reduction in staging room requirements with no impact on order volume
Efficiency: Reduced congestion during peak hours
“As the industry’s only solid-state cooling solution for curbside, Phononic’s Actively-Cooled tote makes economic sense,” said Larry Yang, chief product officer at Phononic. “Not only is it easy to integrate the totes into ShopRite’s existing operations, but it’s incredibly scalable — capable of growing easily alongside ShopRite’s booming curbside business, and agile enough to keep up with daily order fluctuations.”
