Metro opens first CO2 store in Russia

RUSSIA: German retailer Metro has opened its first transcritical CO2 store in Russia.

The store in Moscow’s Aparinki district forms part of Metro’s global F-gas exit programme, which will see all new stores equipped with CO2 technology.

The Metro Group revealed plans last year to increase its presence in Russia, where it currently operates 200 stores, to 2,000 by 2020.

Investments are also being made in the cooling units of existing stores. In Russia, the last five stores still operating with HCFC refrigerant will be replaced by transcritical refrigeration systems in the coming financial year, the company says.

The moves are part of the Metro AG’s efforts to halve its CO2 emissions, based on 2011 figures,  by 2030. The company says it has already reduced these emissions by 21%.

“For us as Metro, the store opening in Aparinki is also an important milestone in our worldwide F-gas exit programme,” said Olaf Schulze, Metro AG’s director of energy management. “We’re moving forward step by step, with more than 170 Metro stores around the world already using natural refrigerants worldwide, and we’re well on the way to reaching our self-imposed corporate climate goals by 2030.”