FreshMart: 200sqm Multi-Temperature Cold Storage

FreshMart is a Brisbane-based independent supermarket group operating four stores across the inner suburbs. Their Mount Gravatt flagship store was undergoing a major expansion — increasing floor area from 800sqm to 1,400sqm — and required a complete rebuild of their cold storage infrastructure to support the new layout and increased stock volumes.

The project scope included a new coolroom for produce and dairy, a dedicated meat preparation room, a blast freezer for ice cream and frozen goods, and a separate pharmaceutical-grade storage unit for their expanding health and pharmacy section.

The project presented three primary challenges. First, the timeline was tight: FreshMart had contractual obligations to reopen the expanded store within 16 weeks of closing for the refurbishment. Any delay to the cold storage installation would push back the entire reopening.

Second, the multi-temperature requirement — four distinct zones ranging from -25°C (blast freezer) to +8°C (pharmaceutical) — required careful thermal engineering to prevent cross-zone heat transfer and ensure each zone maintained its target temperature independently.

Third, the pharmaceutical storage unit required compliance with TGA cold chain guidelines in addition to standard food safety requirements, meaning stricter tolerances, redundant monitoring and a detailed validation protocol before commissioning.

Acro Refrigeration's project team began with a detailed site survey and thermal modelling exercise, using the store's trading data to accurately size each refrigeration system for peak load conditions. This upfront engineering work is critical for multi-zone facilities — undersized systems in adjacent zones can cause thermal interference that is difficult and expensive to rectify after installation.

We specified 150mm PU foam panels for the blast freezer and 100mm panels for the remaining zones, with all inter-zone walls designed to provide thermal breaks. The refrigeration plant was configured on a central rack system with zone-dedicated expansion valves and electronic controllers, allowing each zone to be managed independently.

For the pharmaceutical unit, we installed a redundant monitoring system with dual temperature probes, UPS-backed alarms and cloud-connected logging that provides the continuous, timestamped records required for TGA compliance.

The installation was completed in 12 weeks — two weeks ahead of the contracted schedule — allowing FreshMart's fitout team additional time before the store opening. All four zones passed temperature validation and HACCP inspection on the first attempt.

The pharmaceutical unit received TGA cold chain validation, enabling FreshMart to stock a broader range of temperature-sensitive health products than their previous store configuration allowed.

Twelve months post-installation, all systems are operating at specification. FreshMart has since engaged Acro Refrigeration on a quarterly maintenance contract across all four stores, with smart monitoring installed at the flagship site.

Delivered 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Four independent temperature zones from -25°C to +8°C. Full HACCP certification on first inspection. TGA cold chain validation for pharmaceutical storage. Ongoing quarterly maintenance contract across 4 sites.