What Fridges Does a Convenience Store Need?

Most convenience stores need three kinds of refrigeration: a run of glass-door upright fridges for drinks and dairy, at least one glass-door display freezer for ice, ice cream and frozen meals, and a small grab-and-go fridge near the counter for sandwiches, snacks and single drinks. Glass doors suit a convenience store best because they hold temperature in a busy, warm shop and help keep power bills down.

This guide is for owners and managers of convenience stores, service station shops, milk bars and corner stores in Brisbane, Sydney and across Australia who are fitting out a new store or replacing old cabinets. It covers which cabinets you need, how many doors to plan for, where they go, and what to check before you buy.

What a convenience store sells cold

A convenience store lives on fast, cold, high-margin lines. Shoppers walk in for one or two items and want to be out in a minute, so the refrigeration has to show everything clearly and let people grab it quickly. The main cold categories are:
Cold drinks: soft drinks, water, energy drinks, iced coffee and juice, usually the biggest cold category.
Dairy: milk, flavoured milk, yoghurt and butter.
Grab-and-go food: sandwiches, wraps, salads, sushi and snack packs.
Frozen: ice, ice cream, ice blocks and frozen meals.

The cabinets most convenience stores need

Glass-door upright fridges are the backbone of most stores. They show a lot of product in a small floor area, hold temperature well when the shop door is opening all day, and self-closing doors limit cold air loss. Our guide to the upright chiller explains how these cabinets work and what to check.

A glass-door display freezer covers ice, ice cream and frozen meals. Give frozen its own cabinet where shoppers can see it, rather than a chest tucked in a corner. See Chill Pro display freezers for the range.

A small open-front or glass-door fridge beside the counter carries grab-and-go food and single drinks for impulse buys. Our guide to the self-service fridge covers which lines suit it and the food safety rules that apply.

Open multidecks are less common in convenience stores. They give the fastest access, but they use more power and work harder in a warm shop with the front door open. Most stores choose glass doors for drinks and dairy and keep open cabinets for grab-and-go food only. Our comparison of open multidecks and glass-door fridges covers the trade-off in detail.

How many fridge doors does a convenience store need?

The number of doors depends on how many lines you range, how often deliveries arrive and how much floor space you have. As a starting point:
Small corner store or milk bar: two to four fridge doors plus one freezer.
Typical convenience store: four to eight fridge doors plus one or two freezers.
Larger service station shop: eight or more fridge doors, with drinks, dairy and food in separate runs.

Count facings rather than guessing: list every cold line you plan to stock, decide how many facings each needs, and work out how many shelves and doors that fills, then allow room to grow. Chill Pro glass-door display fridges come in 630, 1260, 1890 and 2520 mm widths, from one to four doors per cabinet, so a run can be matched to the wall you have. To measure the floor, aisles and doorways, see our guide to sizing a display fridge.

Where to put the fridges

Drinks along the back or side wall, so shoppers walk past other lines on the way.
Milk and dairy where regular customers find them fast, often in the same run as drinks.
Grab-and-go food and single drinks near the counter, for impulse buys while people wait to pay.
Ice and ice cream in a freezer that is easy to see, not hidden behind stock or around a corner.
Every cabinet out of direct sun from the front windows and away from pie warmers and coffee machines.

Once the cabinets are in, the way you fill them matters too. Our guide on how to stock a display fridge covers eye-level placement, load lines and stock rotation.

Heat, power and the shop floor

A convenience store is a tough place for a fridge. The front door opens constantly, many stores trade long hours or around the clock, and front windows let in sun and heat. Check the climate class of every cabinet: Chill Pro display fridges are rated for an operating environment of 32°C and 60% relative humidity, which suits a warm Queensland or New South Wales shop. Also check:
Power: each cabinet needs a suitable outlet, so check your circuits before delivery.
Ventilation: plug-in cabinets release heat from the condenser, so leave the clearance the maker specifies around each one.
Access: measure doorways, corridors and any steps between the delivery point and the final position.

Running costs in a long-hours store

Refrigeration is often one of the biggest power users in a convenience store, and long trading hours make every kilowatt hour count. Compare cabinets on their rated energy use per day, choose glass doors for drinks and dairy, use LED lighting, and keep condensers clean and door seals in good shape. Chill Pro display fridges use R290 refrigerant, LED lighting and self-closing glass doors. For more ways to cut refrigeration running costs, see our running-costs guide.

Warranty, delivery and finance

Chill Pro supplies display fridges and freezers from Brisbane and Sydney, with freight Australia-wide and a 2-year parts and labour warranty. Chill Pro Trusted Finance Partners offer competitive rates in the market — ask us about it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fridges does a convenience store need?
Most convenience stores need glass-door upright fridges for drinks and dairy, a glass-door display freezer for ice, ice cream and frozen meals, and a small grab-and-go fridge near the counter for food and single drinks.

How many fridge doors does a convenience store need?
A small corner store often starts with two to four fridge doors and one freezer, while a typical convenience store runs four to eight doors. Count the cold lines you stock and the facings each needs to set the exact number.

Are glass-door or open fridges better for a convenience store?
Glass-door fridges suit most convenience stores because they hold temperature in a warm, busy shop and use less power. Open-front cabinets work for a small grab-and-go range near the counter.

Where should drinks fridges go in a convenience store?
Along the back or side wall, so shoppers pass other products on the way, with single drinks and grab-and-go food in a smaller fridge near the counter.

What should you check before buying a convenience store fridge?
Check the climate class for a warm shop, the rated energy use per day, the cabinet width against your wall, power and ventilation clearance, the delivery path to the final position, and the warranty.

Planning a new store or replacing tired cabinets? Tell us what you sell and the space you have, and get a quote for fridges and freezers delivered to your door. We are based in Queensland and New South Wales and freight Australia-wide.