EXCLUSIVE: Fridge monitor could save stores £2,000 a year, according to Kelsius

Retailers could save more than £2,000 per year in op­erational costs by install­ing digital temperature monitoring for fridges and freezers, results from software company Kelsius suggest.

The figures, shared with Better Retailing, are based on transferring manual pen-and-paper temperature monitoring to Kelsius’s 24/7 digital sensor devices. The company has claimed the system would save a convenience store 3.8 hours a week, equivalent to at least £2,260 in sav­ings when calculated on the national living wage rate of £11.44 an hour.

“You’re probably looking at nearly an hour per day to do that when monitor­ing fridge and freezer units twice, as each retail store is required to do,” said Ciaran Gallagher, sales and marketing manager at Kelsius. “You also save on the printing of paper every day, and there’s time saving around auditing preparation.”

He added: “Most retailers are monitoring manually. We put sensors in each fridge and freezer, and store owners can ac­cess information via an internet-enabled device. They can also tempera­ture-monitor goods com­ing in at the back door, and probe food as it’s be­ing cooked. Cleaning tasks are also recorded.”

Savings

Although fees will vary per store, Kelsius stated the average payback time for a convenience store is 2.6 years, based on the firm’s assumed hourly wage rate of £13.

Gallagher said: “There’s a set price depending on the shop, and what they’ll be saving in terms of labour costs.”

The company has been established in Ireland for 20 years. It is now set on moving into UK-based independent retail, having partnered with more than 1,000 stores in Ireland, including Ap­plegreen and Spar.

Gallagher said: “There is no criteria needed for a store to install Kelsius. It helps to move away from paper for sustainability goals, driving operational efficiencies. Even if Wi-Fi access is a challenge, we can oper­ate via a mobile network. We can meet the chal­lenge and the needs of any customer willing to take our system on.”

Sue Nithyanandan, of Costcutter Epsom in Surrey, said she is work­ing with the firm on a trial for hot food monitor­ing, paying an upfront cost of £1,249, annual support fee of £487 and £1 daily fee.

She added: “I can bring temperature monitoring in at a later date, which I probably will. I can get a notification if fridges spill or manage a cleaning schedule with it – there’s lots to this whole system.

“I have cherry-picked what’s important to me. Right now, we’re doing everything manually, and I’d like the paper trail to be digital. It’s important to be compliant.”