The Nordheim-based company p2raumdesign has developed a display window specially designed for the fresh food counters used by numerous direct marketers throughout Germany, which can be inserted into the body of the counter if required. From a sales counter in full service with sales personnel, it can be transformed into a refrigerated counter for self-service in no time.
View of the Strampe family's new farm shop: Today, Dagmar and Peter Strampe, together with their son Max Strampe, produce asparagus on about 65 ha, 12 ha of blueberries, and about 1 ha of raspberries in protected cultivation.
Last year, P2raumdesign had already implemented this technology on a large scale in the new farm store of the Strampe asparagus farm in Lower Saxony for refrigerated asparagus and berry sales. The feedback after the first marketing season was very positive, he said. "The technology offers many advantages in both the peak and off seasons. During the peak season, high-quality bulk produce is sold over the counter in full service. Then, in the off-season or when needed, the front window can be lowered to present pre-packaged products, such as berries in bowls or packaged asparagus, refrigerated in self-service," describes Rainer Palinkasch of P2raumdesign.
In order to increase the access area for the customer when the display window is lowered, the upper horizontal glass support (pay-shelf) of the counter can also be moved to the rear. This also facilitates the cleaning of the goods displayed from the front.
Compared to the old farm store, the sales area of Spargelhof Strampe has now tripled, which is why both a normal refrigerated area and a frozen food department could be built. Due to the structural requirements, two sections, an asparagus counter, and a berry counter, had to be implemented. Both counters have lowerable display windows so that it is possible to work here in both service and self-service mode. In addition, at the end of the asparagus and berry season, the counters can be used without refrigeration as shelves or presentation displays for other products. The shelves within the counter are height-adjustable and can thus be easily adapted to the depth of the crates or trays.
Another highlight of the modern farm store, he said, is the lighting, which was designed specifically for food. The luminaires have a very high LED CRI value, meaning a high color rendering index. This results in the color rendering being reproduced one-to-one by the product, P2raumdesign said. As an additional eye-catcher, three large decorative lamps with golden interior color were installed in the entrance area. These decorative lamps were also equipped with the CRI lights so that colors could correspond with the presented product.
The sophisticated technology is still only used in Germany, but further projects in neighboring countries like France are already planned.
The Strampe family's farm store was completed with a modern air-conditioning system, also specially designed for food, and the mobile presentation area Liftboxx, which won the expoSE Innovation Award in 2018. The Liftboxx was positioned next to the entrance for the presentation of potatoes or apples and is adapted to the dimensions of common crate formats. The height of the presentation surface of the Liftboxx can be continuously adjusted by means of an integrated lowering and lifting mechanism. Another particular advantage is that the display can be raised to the upper edge of the Liftboxx, depending on the level of sales.
Modular farm shop concepts on the rise
Another system that is being noticed with increasing interest by the industry is farm shop concepts in modular design (containers), Palinkasch continues. "Currently, there is an increasing demand for this topic in connection with an integrated self-service sales concept as a uniform solution, which in turn is also largely due to the current shortage of personnel and high labor costs. We are already developing our first projects."
For more information:
Jürgen Beyer
p2raumdesign GmbH
Zimmerer Höhe 31
74226 Nordheim
Tel.: +49(0)7133-2025-261
Fax: +49(0)7133-2025-199
Email: [email protected]
www.p2raumdesign.de
Spargelhof Strampe
Lüneburger Landstraße 1
21398 Neetze
Tel.: 05850 - 1331
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.spargelhofstrampe.de