Retail Store Walk-In Cooler & Freezer Replacement
A busy retail store needed its aging walk-in cooler and freezer replaced without closing its doors. Touchstone removed the old boxes, built new energy-efficient walk-ins with heavy-duty shelving in their place, and kept product cold through every phase, all while customers kept shopping.
Introduction
This retail store's walk-in cooler and freezer had reached the end of the road. Panels were worn, door seals were failing, and the refrigeration equipment could no longer hold temperature on warm days. The store needed a complete replacement, and it needed to happen while the doors stayed open for business. In April, Touchstone's crew took the project from demolition to a finished, stocked cold wall without the store losing a single day of sales.
Our Solution
Touchstone removed the old walk-ins down to the slab and built new insulated boxes in their place, complete with new refrigeration systems, glass display doors for shoppable access, and heavy-duty shelving. New refrigerant lines were run through the ceiling to rooftop condensing units, and the work was phased so the cooler and freezer were never both offline at the same time. Temporary refrigeration protected product through every stage of the swap.
The Challenge
The entire replacement had to happen inside a working store. Aisles stayed open, customers kept shopping, and product had to stay cold through demolition, framing, panel assembly, and startup. Dust and noise controls protected the sales floor, and every phase was sequenced around business hours so shoppers never noticed the construction happening behind the wall.
The Result
The store now has bright, efficient, shoppable cold storage that holds temperature perfectly and looks as good as it works. Energy costs are down, product stays fresher longer, and the freezer aisle went from the oldest part of the store to one of the best looking. Start to finish, the store never closed and never lost a sale.