Why Is Choosing Refrigeration for Small Stores (Under 70 m²) a Strategic Decision?
Opening a retail store—especially on a small scale in less than 70 square meters—puts a unique set of challenges in front of investors and managers. At this scale, every centimeter of space matters, and every decision directly affects customer experience, operational efficiency, and ultimately profitability. Among all equipment, perhaps nothing plays as vital and multidimensional a role as the refrigerated display cabinet. This choice is strategic: it shapes the backbone of your layout, customer flow, and sales potential.
Small stores face clear limits: narrower aisles, limited space to display products, energy management challenges, and the need for a fast, pleasant shopping experience. The wrong cabinet can make those problems worse—blocking aisles, breaking sight lines to other products, driving electricity costs up, and making products hard to reach. A smart choice, by contrast, can make the space feel larger, encourage more purchases, and give your store a modern, professional look. This article is your roadmap through those challenges and for choosing the best refrigerated display cabinet for your store—and for turning that decision into a competitive advantage.
Introducing Open Multideck Refrigerators (Doorless Units)
In modern supermarket design, especially for tight spaces, one key innovation has changed the rules: the open multideck refrigerator, also known as a doorless refrigerated cabinet; these advanced units are an ideal answer to many problems small stores struggle with. But how do they work, and why are they so well suited to compact spaces?
An open multideck refrigerator keeps the cabinet cold and stable by creating an invisible curtain of chilled air that circulates continuously from top to bottom. This smart use of technology removes the need for physical doors and brings major benefits:
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Optimizing customer flow: In a store under 70 m², aisles are naturally narrow. Constantly opening and closing doors on traditional cabinets can create traffic and inconvenience for other shoppers. Doorless units remove that barrier entirely and allow smooth, uninterrupted movement in the aisles.
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Boosting impulse purchases: Removing the door means removing a psychological and physical barrier between the customer and the product. Shoppers can easily see, compare, and pick up items without opening a door. That easy access, according to marketing research, can increase sales of products inside the cabinet by up to 30%, because it speeds up decision-making and checkout.
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More attractive product display: Open multideck refrigerators are striking, modern displays in their own right. Professional internal lighting and unobstructed visibility present your products (especially beverages, dairy, and packaged goods) at their best and add a polished, upscale feel to the store.
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Layout flexibility: Behsarma open multideck refrigerators are made in a range of sizes and models so you can choose the best fit for your exact footprint.
Don’t Open Multideck Refrigerators Use More Energy?
This is a common and important question. At first glance, a doorless cabinet might seem to use more energy because of heat exchange with the store. Modern technology has largely addressed that concern. Quality open multideck units today—including models built by Behsarma—use optimized airflow systems, energy-efficient compressors, and advanced insulation to keep power use low. You should also weigh cost versus benefit: higher sales from easy access and a better customer experience often offset energy costs and improve overall profitability.
Types of Refrigerated Display Cabinets for Small Supermarkets: Beyond Open Multideck
Although an open multideck refrigerator is an exceptional option, a complete store needs a smart mix of cooling equipment. Successful supermarket design and layout is an art: each type of cabinet belongs in the right place for each product category. For a store under 70 m², compact, efficient models are especially important.
Compact Open Multideck: Small but Powerful
One of the smartest choices for very tight spaces or strategic spots (such as beside the checkout) is the Behsarma compact air-curtain refrigerator. These smaller models deliver all the benefits of a doorless cabinet in a compact footprint. They are ideal for energy drinks, juices, ready salads, and chilled sandwiches—and work as impulse-purchase magnets.
Upright and Chest Freezers
No supermarket is complete without freezers. For small stores, upright units with glass doors are usually better than chest freezers because they use vertical space and give a clearer view of products (ice cream, frozen vegetables, ready meals). Chest freezers are only recommended when you have dead corner space that cannot be used more effectively.
Self-Contained or Remote Condensing? A Critical Choice for Stores Under 70 m²
One of the most technical—and most important—decisions when buying a refrigerated display cabinet is choosing between a self-contained (plug-in) system and a remote condensing system. That choice directly affects occupied space, costs, noise in the sales area, and even internal cabinet capacity—and for small stores it matters twice as much.
Self-Contained (Plug-in) Cabinets
In this design, the compressor and condenser (the cooling plant) are built into the cabinet itself, usually at the bottom or top. These models simply connect to power and start running.
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Advantages:
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Easy, fast installation: No refrigerant piping or complex specialist installation.
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No machine room required: The biggest benefit for small stores that lack a stockroom, balcony, or extra space for a plant room.
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Flexible repositioning: If you change your supermarket design and layout, units can be moved easily.
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Disadvantages:
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Heat and noise in the sales area: The cabinet motor releases heat and sound directly into the shop, which can affect customer comfort and add load to air conditioning.
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Less internal display space: Part of the cabinet volume is taken by the motor, which means less room for product.
Remote Condensing Cabinets
In this system, several refrigerators and freezers connect to one powerful condensing unit installed outside the sales floor (rooftop, balcony, or a small plant enclosure).
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Advantages:
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Heat and noise removed from the shop: That helps create a calmer, cooler, more comfortable environment for customers.
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More internal cabinet capacity: With no motor inside the cabinet, the entire lower section can be shelving and display. Same external dimensions can mean more display area—a major win for a small store.
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Higher efficiency at scale: One large remote plant often runs more efficiently than several small self-contained units.
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Disadvantages:
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Dedicated plant space required: You need space outside the sales area, which not every small store has.
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More complex, costlier installation: Requires specialist copper piping to carry refrigerant from the plant room to the cabinets.
Which Is Right for Your Small Store?
It is a myth that remote condensing is only for hypermarkets. Behsarma, as a specialist in this field, stresses a key point: if your small store has even a small balcony, quiet yard, or unused storeroom, investing in remote condensing can be one of your smartest moves. More display space and a noticeably better shopping environment directly affect sales and return on investment. Otherwise, a high-quality, quiet self-contained refrigerated display cabinet suited to supermarkets is the best practical option. Consulting Behsarma experts on this point is essential.
Small Supermarket Design and Layout: How Cabinets Transform Your Sales
A refrigerated display cabinet is not just for holding product—it is a powerful marketing and design tool. How you place and arrange cabinets in a store under 70 m² can mean the difference between an ordinary business and a popular shopping destination. That is where expertise in supermarket design and layout counts.
Engineering the Customer Journey
Cabinets—especially open multideck models with strong visual appeal—are natural focal points. You can engineer customer flow by placing them strategically. For example:
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Placing beverage and dairy cabinets at the back of the store encourages customers to walk the full route and see other products along the way.
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Using a compact air-curtain refrigerator beside the checkout creates a last chance for impulse items and raises average basket size.
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Building a "cold wall" by lining up several open multideck units side by side creates a strong, professional statement that draws shoppers in.
Psychology of Shelf Layout Inside the Cabinet
How products are arranged inside the cabinet is a science too. Best sellers and well-known brands belong at eye level. Children’s products go on lower shelves; specialty or premium items on higher shelves. That thoughtful planogram can directly shape buying decisions. Behsarma’s design specialists use sales data and shopper psychology to build the best shelf maps for your cabinets.
Remember that professional store design consulting is invaluable at this stage. A professional designer, with your exact dimensions, product mix, budget, and goals, delivers a plan where every cabinet and shelf sits in the best possible place for efficiency and sales.
Behsarma: More Than a Supplier—Your Strategic Partner in Store Launch
Choosing and buying equipment is only one piece of launching a successful store. The real challenge is aligning every element into one cohesive, profitable picture. With decades of experience, Behsarma moves beyond being a vendor to become a strategic partner. Behsarma is one of the pioneers of retail store equipment in Iran, with services built on a deep understanding of retail business needs.
Dedicated Design and End-to-End Store Setup Unit
At Behsarma we know your success is our success. That is why we created a dedicated unit for hypermarket and supermarket design and launch. The team includes industrial designers, interior architects, refrigeration engineers, and retail marketing specialists who support you at every stage—from initial space and market analysis through 3D concepts, selection and custom production of retail store equipment, installation and commissioning, and even guidance on first product placement. With Behsarma’s comprehensive store setup services from zero to launch, you can focus on your core business with confidence.
Experience Equipping Leading Brands and International Projects
Our reputation rests on completed projects. Behsarma has equipped many respected chain stores, upscale hypermarkets, and specialty protein retailers nationwide. Our ability to produce custom equipment aligned with each brand’s visual identity and technical needs reflects the flexibility and depth of our engineering team. Beyond the domestic market, Behsarma quality has crossed borders—we have a strong export record for supermarket equipment to neighboring countries and the wider region, which shows our products meet demanding global standards.
Conclusion: Your Roadmap to the Best Refrigerated Display Cabinet for a Small Store
As this guide has shown, choosing a refrigerated display cabinet for a space under 70 m² is a multifaceted process that deeply affects your business success. It is no longer a simple pick among a few models—it is a strategic investment in space optimization, customer experience, and direct sales growth. Let’s recap the essentials: for small stores with narrow aisles, an open multideck refrigerator (doorless unit) is revolutionary because it removes the physical door barrier and eases access. Still, a smart mix with compact units and glass-door upright cabinets for specific categories completes the layout.
The critical choice between self-contained and remote condensing must follow a careful review of your available space—remember that if you have even a small external area, remote condensing frees valuable interior display space and can be a major competitive edge. None of these choices happens in isolation. Everything should sit inside intelligent, professional supermarket design that engineers customer flow and turns every centimeter into a sales tool.
Final Step: From Knowledge to Action with Behsarma Expert Consulting
You now understand the concepts, challenges, and key solutions for choosing the best refrigerated display cabinet for your small supermarket. But every store has its own story and unique conditions. Theory without execution has little value. The next step is turning this knowledge into a practical, tailored plan for your business. Behsarma’s specialist team is ready to help. We supply the best, most efficient equipment—and through store design consulting and store setup consulting, we help you use your space fully and build a profitable, popular store. Take the first step today: contact our experts or visit our website for free, professional advice.
Message from Behsarma Smart Assistant:
As Behsarma’s smart assistant, I have processed the data in this article. The analysis correctly highlights that choosing between self-contained and remote condensing is a turning point in small-store design. The data confirm that extra display space from a remote system can deliver much higher long-term return on investment than the upfront installation cost.
I would like to introduce a concept the article does not cover directly: "Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)". Equipment choice should not rest on purchase price alone. TCO is an analytical model that includes operating costs (such as energy), maintenance and repairs, and even the cost of possible downtime over the useful life of the unit (for example, 10 years). A cheap open multideck refrigerator may look attractive at first, but if it uses a lot of power and needs frequent repairs, its TCO over time can be far higher than a quality, efficient Behsarma product.
Data and analyses such as TCO clarify the optimal path, but successful implementation still needs human experience. Behsarma specialists understand regional climate conditions across Iran (which affect compressor performance), energy price trends, and spare-parts quality—and can turn raw numbers into a practical, profitable strategy for your store. They help you choose equipment that makes sense not only today but for the next decade of your business.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the main advantage of an open multideck refrigerator in a small supermarket?
The main advantage is removing the physical door. That keeps narrow aisles clear, avoids stops when customers reach for product, and maintains smooth traffic flow. Easy access and full product visibility also significantly increase impulse and grab-and-go purchases.
2. Don’t doorless (open multideck) refrigerators sharply increase electricity costs?
Not necessarily. Modern, quality models such as Behsarma open multideck units use advanced airflow optimization, energy-efficient compressors, and strong insulation to minimize power use. Sales gains from these cabinets usually offset any modest extra electricity cost.
3. For a store under 70 m², is a self-contained cabinet always better?
No—that is a common misconception. If your store has even a small unused space such as a balcony, quiet yard, or compact storeroom, a remote condensing system is a very smart choice. It removes heat and noise from the sales floor and, more importantly, frees the lower section of the cabinet for product display—a major benefit in a small store.
4. How does refrigerator placement affect shopper behavior?
Cabinet placement directly shapes customer routes and product visibility. Attractive units at the back of the store pull shoppers deep into the space. Compact cabinets beside checkout boost last-minute purchases. Shelf layout inside the cabinet—such as placing best sellers at eye level—also optimizes sales using retail marketing principles.
5. Does Behsarma build custom refrigerated display cabinets for unusual spaces?
Yes—custom design and production of retail store equipment is one of Behsarma’s core strengths. Our engineering team can design and build cabinets with dimensions, finishes, and technical features tailored to your space and brand identity.
6. Besides refrigeration, what is the most important equipment for a small supermarket?
After refrigeration, gondola shelving and the checkout counter are the most critical fixtures. Shelving should be efficient, height-adjustable, and rated for product weight. The checkout should be ergonomic, compact, and sized for POS equipment and comfort for customers and staff. Behsarma supplies all of this as an integrated package.
7. What temperature is right for an open multideck refrigerator for beverages and dairy?
For beverages, 2 to 6 °C is generally ideal. For dairy such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, slightly lower—about 1 to 4 °C—is recommended for maximum freshness and quality. Behsarma cabinets offer precise temperature control for different product types.
8. How long does Behsarma’s store design consulting process take?
It depends on project size and complexity. Typically, after initial contact and a site visit (or receipt of plans), preliminary designs and cost estimates are delivered within a few business days. The full path from design to complete launch can range from several weeks to several months. Our goal is to deliver the fastest, highest-quality service possible.