At the new Charter supermarket in Alzira, near Valencia, commercial refrigeration forms an integral part of the organisation of the sales floor. Epta supplied the store’s refrigerated departments, with solutions for fresh and frozen food designed to combine display capacity, a reduced footprint and energy efficiency.
The supermarket is part of Consum’s Charter proximity retail network, a format in which making efficient use of limited floor space is particularly important. The Alzira store is also the third Alper Alimentación Alzira project equipped with Epta solutions, within a Charter network that recorded 22 new openings in the first half of 2026.
More display capacity within a smaller footprint
In the fresh food area, the project uses Costan Zenith VP Integral Advance Plus refrigerated cabinets, installed in a wall configuration extending for more than 20 linear metres. The system accommodates different product categories, from fruit and vegetables to dairy products, meat and cold cuts.
One of the most relevant aspects for store planning is the footprint of the equipment. The new design reduces cabinet depth by 100 mm while maintaining the same display capacity, with the technical components integrated into the upper section of the unit. This is particularly significant for proximity formats, where the efficient use of available floor space directly affects layout organisation.
Transparency also contributes to the display concept. Glass doors and side panels reduce the visual weight of the equipment while maintaining clear visibility of the refrigerated products.
Energy efficiency across refrigerated departments
The six-door L375 configuration of Zenith VP Integral operates with a single circuit and one compressor. The system incorporates double-structure insulation, high-performance glazing with a Ug value of 1.1 W/m²K, magnetic gaskets and upgrades to the compressor and evaporator. According to Epta, these features deliver energy savings of up to 28% compared with the previous generation, while also reducing the cabinet’s acoustic emissions.
The project also extends to the frozen food department, where GranBering Integral Ultra Air negative-temperature vertical cabinets from Costan’s GranFit family have been installed. The units achieve energy class B and, according to Epta, deliver performance improvements of 35% compared with the previous generation.
The configuration combines a triple refrigeration circuit, inverter compressors and a hybrid defrost system, technologies designed to reduce energy consumption throughout the equipment’s life cycle.
From refrigeration to digital store management
The project also introduces MyEpta, a platform developed to bring together technical data, digital tools and services related to the installed equipment.
By scanning the NFC tag attached to each cabinet, technicians can use Asset ID to access the unit’s digital identity, including manuals, KPIs, contracts and service history. Store ID, meanwhile, provides the retailer with a centralised dashboard for monitoring the entire fleet of equipment installed in the store.
Digitalisation therefore extends from individual cabinets to the management of the refrigeration system as a whole, supporting equipment monitoring and more effective maintenance planning.
At the Charter supermarket in Alzira, refrigeration, product display and technical management are treated as interconnected components of the same system. In a proximity retail format, reducing equipment footprint, maintaining display capacity, controlling energy consumption and simplifying operations directly influence how the sales floor performs. The project therefore provides a useful case study not only in commercial refrigeration, but also in the planning of food retail environments.