Terry Parker, president of Merchandising by Design, speaks on the topic “The Art and Science Behind Compelling Fresh Food Formats.”

Over the last couple of months, I’ve referenced comments from Terry Parker, president of Merchandising by Design, who spoke on the topic “The Art and Science Behind Compelling Fresh Food Formats” at last fall’s Food Marketing Institute Energy and Store Design Conference.

In January I noted her comments on closed door cases and in February it was about her concern over the aging refrigeration technician population and how to attract young people by developing simpler equipment designs.

My final comment this month on her talk picks up on the simplification approach. It was one of Parker’s arguments that customers are seeking simpler store designs with more attention to price than the look of the store. She also wondered how much customers are really interested in the so-called green aspect of a store.

“We are migrating from green to lean,” she said.

It was only a few years ago that everybody was talking green as the environmentally correct thing to do. I visited a number of supermarkets that were not only trying all sorts of green approaches, but making a big deal about them in signage and publicity.

Now, contends Roberts, that’s not a big concern of customers.

For contractors and technicians, there are a couple of points to make about this.

First, many of the new refrigerants are being used because of regulatory issues such as those that banned chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and then hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in equipment. So, regardless of how green and/or lean plays out, environmentally correct refrigerants will continue to be around.

Second, refrigeration manufacturers strive for equipment that is most energy efficient, saving stores valuable dollars. And that equipment ends up having less of an impact on the environment — kind of a win-win.

So, refrigeration has striven to be lean even through the green times and will continue to be so even if lean times are coming.