Everyone knows, per William Shakespeare, that the “eyes are the window to the soul.” In the convenience store universe, the eyes are the glass doors that allow access to the site’s cold-vault coolers and freezers. If merchandised correctly, these eyes can be the windows to an improved bottom line for the operator through increased sales and a more pleasant shopping experience for the customer that can result in return business.
That is, however, only if the cold-vault doors allow the customer to have an unimpeded view into the cooler or freezer. Traditional doors have a hard time optimizing product visibility because their construction typically features wide frames, heavy handles and bulky gaskets that reduce the amount of glass area that is available for the shopper to easily see into the cooler or freezer.
Anthony, a merchandising solutions provider of cooler and freezer doors, and related equipment, has created a solution to the challenge of limited cold-vault visibility with the development of its Vista Elite® Vacuum Insulated Glass (VIG) Door model. The Vista Elite is the industry’s only all-glass, energy-free cold-vault door that offers panoramic product visibility without the need for door or glass heat.
Product visibility is optimized because the design of the Vista Elite door eliminates the thick metal frames and center mullions that are standard on older cold-vault doors. These site-hindering obstructions are not needed because the construction of the Vista Elite doors incorporates such innovations as an ultra-thin glass pack and Vista Arch handles.
In addition to increasing product visibility, the use of VIG technology in the Vista Elite’s construction provides a cost-saving benefit for the operator. The door’s insulating properties require zero energy to operate and provide excellent anti-condensation protection. By upgrading to Vista Elite doors, the c-store operator can experience total energy savings of 70% when compared to traditional door technologies and a one-and-a-half-year return on investment (ROI) as the result of reduced utility costs. Further savings can be realized through a reduction in spare-parts inventory, lower maintenance costs and less out-of-service time.
There is also an altruistic benefit to using Vista Elite doors. Today’s consumers are more aware of whether or not equipment suppliers in any industry are being socially conscious in how the design and operation of their products will affect the environment. This has prompted equipment suppliers for the c-store market to develop ways to improve the operation of their products so that they have minimal impact on the environment through both lower energy consumption and a reduced carbon footprint. The Zero Energy design and operation of the Vista Elite doors checks all of the proper boxes when it comes to operating in an environmentally sensitive way.
And as one final bonus, Vista Elite doors satisfy the DOE’s new commercial-refrigeration energy-efficiency standards that went into effect on June 5, 2017. These are the department’s most recent attempts to help c-store retailers improve the functionality of their equipment in a way that the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions that may accelerate climate change are reduced to satisfactory levels. Therefore, c-store operators who use Vista Elite doors will show their customers that they are sensitive to environmental concerns while also conforming to the requirements of the new DOE regulations.
The Vista Elite Vacuum-Insulated Glass Door series has been cycle-tested 500,000 times for wear, and is covered by Anthony’s 10-year glass-seal warranty and 12-month warranty on parts and labor. For more information on the Vista Elite doors, please visit www.anthonyintl.com.
This post is sponsored by Anthony