AT ANDRONICO'S, A CASE IN POINT

TONY SPLEEN

ALBANY, Calif. -- When it comes to refrigerated display cases, most produce executives take what they can get.

But at a newly remodeled unit of Andronico's Park and Shop, Fred Mooney, director of produce buying-merchandising, has managed to get exactly what he wants: triple-deck display cases with multiple zones of refrigeration that make the most of the available merchandising space while ensuring optimum temperature control and airflow.

These are features that are becoming increasingly important as precut produce continues to gain in popularity, and as variety of all produce expands, Mooney said.

"We're selling a lot more precut produce, which is extremely temperature-sensitive, so temperature control is more important than ever," he said.

The cases were created for the five-unit, Albany-based independent's newest remodel, a store in San Francisco. They represent an evolution in case design for the upscale retailer, which has improved its produce cases -- thanks to a close working relationship with its case manufacturer -- over the past several years as stores have been remodeled.

"These are the most advanced cases available," Mooney told SN in an interview at the store, which features an impressive new produce department.

The cases are 6.5 feet tall -- about a foot and a half taller than most multideck produce cases.

"When customers look straight in front of them in the department, they see produce rather than the top of a case," Mooney said.

The bottom rack of the cases is a full 6 inches lower than most, which provides a deeper "throat" on the bottom shelf, so the shelf above doesn't hide the bottom-shelf product, Mooney explained. "This is better for mass merchandising and creating a bulk look."

By creating more space at the top and bottom, the top two decks were spaced out to provide more display area as well.

The cases stretch along a 90-foot aisle capped at both ends by freestanding octagonal tables. The two rows alone create more than 540 linear feet of display space. The ceiling above the aisle is lower than the rest of the store to create the feel of a separate area.

Angled mirrors run the length of the two aisles along the top of the stretch of cases and are designed in such a way that a customer looking at one wall of cases will also see the reflection of the case on the opposite side. The result: the illusion of produce stacked from floor to ceiling, or a "tunnel of produce," as Mooney puts it.

"We create a feeling of freshness surrounding you. The produce comes alive and jumps out at the customers, really getting their attention. This helps keep them in the department longer, and the more you can do that, the more you'll get them to buy."

Temperature control in the new cases is a vast improvement over Andronico's older cases, Mooney said. "We now have much better refrigeration, incorporating better motors and coils," said Mooney, who called the two long stretches of cases "state of the art."

The temperature can be regulated in each 8- or 12-foot linear section from a valve under the case, making it possible to display different produce items at their optimal storage temperature.

While it is not as desirable as controlling the temperature from a central location in the back room, it is the "most advanced system to date," Mooney said.

In addition, the refrigeration coils above the top deck were brought farther out in front of the cases, creating better airflow throughout and expanding placement options for the 400 varieties of produce carried in the department.

"Finally we can display our precut vegetables and salad mixes on the top shelves because we can keep the temperature at the appropriate range," said Mooney.

"It took a while to get here," Mooney said. "Our case manufacturer had to pull the coils and replace them in some of our other stores in order to get the right temperatures."

Shrink, which stands at about 10%, has dropped 2 percentage points with the new cases, Mooney claims. Improved temperature controls have extended shelf life and the product moves faster because of more effective merchandising, he said.

Weekly produce sales in his 1,700-square-foot department are running at $22.35 per square foot, compared with the industry mean of $3.65, according to Mooney. "Clearly our square footage is paying for itself," Mooney said.

Mooney credits his satisfaction with the cases to the close working relationship his company has with its case manufacturer as well as both companies' mutual desire to try new things and take well-calculated risks.

While they cost one-third more than standard produce cases, the cost per linear foot, thanks to additional height and shelf space, is actually less, Mooney said.

With each remodel the company worked closely with the case manufacturer to fine-tune its produce cases. It was frustrating at times, Mooney said, but he added that the company finally has what it needs.

"These are the best cases I've ever worked with," said Mike Diedrick, produce manager of the San Francisco store. "As a produce manager trying to make our margins, these cases are great."

The cases were installed last November, making the produce department the first perishables department to be completed in the store, which has remained open during the remodel. The grand opening is set for next month.

"We've seen a steady increase in our percentage of total store sales and volume since we installed the cases," said Diedrick.