Hoshizaki Enters the Multideck Market — but Should You Choose Doors?

The multideck is one of the hardest-working salespeople in a convenience store. It puts chilled drinks, sandwiches and food-to-go directly in the customer’s path, keeps the choice visible and removes the pause created by a closed cabinet.

It can also be one of the most energy-hungry pieces of refrigeration on the shop floor.

That tension sits at the centre of Hoshizaki’s new ADVANCE multideck range, the manufacturer’s first move into this part of the UK display-refrigeration market.

Four widths and two very different buying decisions

The range covers 1000mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm widths. Buyers can choose open-front models with night blinds or versions fitted with doors. End panels are available in different finishes, while adjustable shelves can be angled to improve the display.

Integrated lighting beneath the shelves keeps products visible. The cabinet uses R290 refrigerant, and the front-access control module is designed to make servicing easier.

Those are useful features, but the biggest choice remains the front of the cabinet.

Open front or glass doors?

An open multideck removes friction. Customers reach in, pick up a drink or sandwich and move on. That is why the format remains popular in high-volume food-to-go environments.

Doors retain cold air more effectively, but they change the shopping action. A customer needs a free hand, the door can interrupt movement along a narrow aisle, and poorly organised stock is less forgiving once a physical barrier is introduced.

The correct answer depends on the store rather than the brochure.

Do not compare labels alone

Energy figures matter, but annual consumption should be read alongside usable display area, cabinet width and the way the store operates. An efficient unit that creates a queue or holds the wrong product mix is not automatically the best commercial choice.

Open models also depend on disciplined closing routines. Hoshizaki says consistent use of the night blind can save energy. The important word is consistent. A night blind left open after the last shift saves nothing.

Craven’s verdict

Hoshizaki’s entry gives retailers another credible multideck option, especially where stainless construction, adjustable presentation and front access for servicing are priorities.

Craven Cooling’s advice is to choose the frontage after observing the store, not before. Watch how customers move, measure the aisle, count the products sold from each section and review the current cabinet’s actual energy consumption if metering is available.

The stunt — The Door Test: Put removable “pretend door handles” on the edge of the existing display for one trading hour and watch the customer flow. It is not an energy test; it is a behaviour test. If people already approach with both hands full, that tells you something a specification sheet cannot.

Sources: Hoshizaki multideck launch report · Hoshizaki ADVANCE MD technical sheet