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Latest news of Epta UK
Thanks to the work of Epta UK, Epta group is among the winners of the UK-Italy Business Boost Awards, established by the British Consulate General of Milan and by the Department for International Trade (DIT). The prize pays tribute to outstanding Italian entrepreneurial activities that have chosen the UK as a strategic base for their international development and celebrates the success of British companies established in Italy.
The event, in its 12th edition, was held on 29 November at Palazzo Mezzanotte, situated in Piazza Affari. The gala evening was organised in association with the Italian Stock Exchange – London Stock Exchange Group and ELITE. Illustrious guests attended, including the British Ambassador in Italy and San Marino, Jill Morris, the City of London Council Deputy Leader, Tom Sleigh, the CEO of the Italian Stock Exchange, Raffaele Jerusalmi and the British Minister for Investments, Graham Stuart.
“We are proud of this success, which is the result of the passion and teamwork of our 400 collaborators in the United Kingdom” comments Luca Lastella, General Manager UK and Nordic Countries Epta, who received the crystal flame from the British Ambassador in Italy and San Marino, Jill Morris “An award achieved in the year that celebrates our 90 years in commercial refrigeration in the UK. We have boosted investments in the production centre of Bradford and this has allowed us to consolidate ourselves as the ideal partner in Great Britain for refrigeration in the Retail sector. Furthermore, thanks to the acquisition of Cold Service, we are now able to offer a complete service nationwide proposing tailor made solutions and all-round assistance, in contracting and in after-sales service. We also boast a permanent training centre, a benchmark in Europe in the natural and sustainable refrigeration sector.”
On Wednesday the 26th September Epta colleagues attended the RAC Cooling Awards at the Hilton Park Row in London, one of the biggest annual industry events.
The prestigious award evening saw many successes. Epta Group were nominated for "Refrigeration Innovation of the Year" award with the Epta Blue CO2 Water Loop system, a technical solution developed to meet the need of smaller stores as well as seeing Sam Capp up for Student Of The Year Award.
Epta co-sponsored the Student of the Year 2018 award; encouraging new people into the industry, as well as ensuring consistent support and training, are central to Epta's values.
The biggest celebration of the evening was when John Austin Davies, Group Marketing Project Director Epta, accepted the RAC Gold Award for service to the industry. John has contributed so much over the years to the development of refrigeration and promoting the industry and is a character recognised throughout the refrigeration world. John attended the awards with fellow colleagues to mark the end of his 38 year tenure at Epta as he goes into retirement at the end of September.
John was described as "Having a seemingly endless technical knowledge" and a visionary who is a "true believer in the Cooling Industry".
Epta UK are proud to work with the Co-op to support one of their named charities, DangerPoint, in refurbishing their current "shop" area to improve the experience for visitors.
DangerPoint is an award winning interactive visitor centre on the North Wales Coast, it offers visitors the opportunity to learn about safety, but not in the way you might think… The centre is full of fun and interactive activities to keep everyone entertained throughout the visit. Designed like a film set, visitors journey from home to the beach; countryside, playground, farm and other settings all the while learning about potential dangers and risks. DangerPoint offers a safe environment where visitors can learn about risks and how to keep safe whilst, most importantly, having fun!
The aim of the project was to provide a Co-op store, that is non-trading; but will provide a key area for students to learn about
"Epta UK are delighted to have assisted delivering the refurbished shop at DangerPoint, Prestatyn; an extremely worthwhile community project." Chris Sunderland
Chris Sunderland, Co-op Deputy Account Manager, worked closely with Co-op to ensure the store environment looked authentic, by donating a chiller and freezer for the children to "shop". Epta UK delivered and installed the cabinets, helping create the Co-op look.
The new area launched on the 1st August 2018, a successful event that saw everyone who attended extremely impressed with the transformation.
The Co-op the time and effort invested in delivering the new DangerPoint Co-op shop. There is now a plaque featuring the Epta logo, alongside other participants’, outside the store as a thank you for participating in the project.
“It was an absolute pleasure to be able to assist the Co-op in providing an authentic and familiar environment at Dangerpoint Visitor Centre where students can safely learn. Community engagement is a high priority within the Epta Group and the results on display at the Visitor Centre, in collaboration with other key partners, are testament to this.”
– Geoff Mills, Commercial Director Epta UK
On Thursday 12th July Epta UK attended The Co-op Construction Awards, a dinner held each year by The Co-op to celebrate the teamwork and achievements of its partners and suppliers on the store construction side of the business.
Epta UK were very proud to accept the prestigious "Direct Supplier of the Year" Award as well as receiving a nomination for the Innovation of the Year award.
This is the fourth time that Epta UK have been named "Direct Supplier of the Year", highlighting the consistency of the strong partnership with The Co-op.
Epta UK were recognized for the effort and professionalism delivered in not letting troubles affect the Co-op or their trade during a very challenging year. Epta UK provide the design, build and installation for a range of cabinets for The Co-op, including the Granvista Next chilled and GranBering frozen cabinets that have a uniform appearance, designed to guarantee a comfortable, appealing and engaging shopping experience.
Epta UK live up to the Group's vision of being "The preferred local partner for customized product and refrigeration system solutions. The ultimate technology and design for the unique store."
The nomination for the Innovation of the Year award was given for the overall program delivered by Epta UK, including their contribution to the design and development of the EC Plus stores and the highly efficient roll-in-milk case with doors. Epta as a Group prides itself on continuous innovation to provide the best experience to customers.
“To retain the Award for “Direct Supplier of the Year” is a huge achievement. I couldn’t be more pleased and proud of the Team who clearly delivered a level of service and attention to detail, sometimes during challenging circumstances, to support the Co-op in their impressive growth and continued success. Everyone at Epta relishes the opportunity to retain this prestigious award once again!” - Geoff Mills, Commercial Director.
Between 16th and 18th May Epta will be celebrating its presence in the United Kingdom as well as its history in commercial refrigeration, which began 90 years ago in 1928 with the founding of George Barker. From cold rooms to the first serve-over cabinets, the company has succeeded in evolving and diversifying its offer to stay ahead of the market by producing solutions - including highly bespoke products - that combine design and technology. Over the years, since George Barker joined the new Epta Group in 1999, with the acquisition of Cold Service in 2014 and the creation of Epta UK in 2017, the company has consolidated its know-how and is now a leader in the United Kingdom in the design, installation and maintenance of complete Refrigeration and Air-conditioning systems for the Large-scale Retail, Ho.Re.Ca and Food & Beverage sectors.
Epta UK has over 400 employees and operates with a production plant in Bradford, and offices in Bradford and Ringwood. To complement business activities and share the knowledge it has developed over the years in the production and installation of CO2 refrigeration systems, it opened the City & Guilds certified Epta CO2 Training Centre in Bradford that will also respond to the ever-increasing demand from the market for systems that use natural refrigerants.
As confirmation of its commitment to offering cutting-edge systems, Epta UK received an award at the prestigious RAC Cooling Industry Awards 2017 for its exclusive FTE Full Transcritical Efficiency system. Other recent awards include the Direct Supplier of the Year 2017 from The Co-Operative Group - the U.K.’s largest co-operative - which demonstrates the results that have been achieved thanks to fruitful partnerships.
The celebrations for Epta’s 90th anniversary will take place over three event-filled days that will be an opportunity to remember the milestones of this story of successes, and illustrate the most recent innovations - discussing future projects with Customers and everyone who has contributed to the success of Epta UK.
During the course of the event, one particularly important moment will be the unveiling of the Showroom within the Bradford premises, that will be attended by Marco Nocivelli, Chairman and CEO of the Epta Group. The Showroom will be used to showcase new offerings from brands George Barker, Costan, Bonnet Névé, Eurocryor, Misa and Iarp and will be used as a Conference Hall for presenting technological innovations and Epta Service, aside from a section dedicated to the Epta CO2 Training Centre.
These three days will also be an opportunity to further improve team spirit, through award ceremonies for employees celebrating 40 years working with the company, and promote the values the group has always embraced, such as solidarity: in this regard, Marco Nocivelli will be describing the various ventures promoted by Epta UK in support of Cancer Research UK, that will be presented with a cheque for £7,000.
The last of the three days will be an Open Day for Families and people from the city of Bradford who will be given the opportunity to visit the site and made to feel an integral part of a story that has been built on passion, dedication and teamwork.
Epta will be taking part in the UK’s biggest Ice cream industry exhibition, The Ice Cream Expo, from 13 to 15 February at the Yorkshire Event Centre. Epta will present the new products by Iarp, created from the concept: #EptaExperience is the way for preserving Gelato Art. Unique Design and highly customisable for a truly peerless presentation: these are the distinctive traits of the Iarp solutions that will be presented during the event (Stand 44).
The Ice Cream Expo will be the opportunity to launch the new Iarp Cool Emotions Range plug-ins in the UK market. These plug-ins have a contemporary style and stand out for their squared edges, that are highlighted by the exclusive blue LED lighting. The Delight scooping plug-in is designed to emphasise a rich selection of ice-cream available by the scoop, while the Glee vertical cabinet offers a high level of transparency to attract the attention of consumers towards pre-packaged products and thus promote impulse buying.
On the stand, visitors will discover the chest freezer Fenice, which features large glass covers and lighting that make the ice creams and the brand names easier to recognise.
Iarp will also present the New York vending machine for ice-creams. It stands out for its extreme ergonomics, that improve customer interaction in the purchasing process, and a metropolitan and captivating design, with the profiles of the Big Apple’s skyscrapers on the sides.
The FTE Full Transcritical Efficiency system produced by Epta received the prestigious RAC Cooling Industry Award 2017 in the category of “Refrigeration Innovation – System and Standalone” and was highly commended for the international achievement of the FTE System. The RAC Cooling Industry Awards are a benchmark event for the cooling and air conditioning trade. They were established to reward businesses that have distinguished themselves on the market with their environmentally sustainable and innovative initiatives. The ceremony for the thirteenth edition was held on 27 September during a gala evening at London’s Hilton on Park Lane.
A preview presentation at of FTE was made at Euroshop. It is a 100% natural system capable of overcoming the current limitations of transcritical technology, and has been designed to be installed in any climate conditions. Simple, global, industrialised and reliable, it guarantees energy savings 10% higher than traditional booster systems, and installation and maintenance costs which are up to 20% lower. Thanks to the special characteristics of the FTE, Epta is now able to offer a new approach to natural cooling by turning CO2 into a sustainable technological standard within everyone’s reach.
Find out more about the FTE system. Watch the video now!
Convenience stores have evolved in recent years; faster service, smaller queues and greater product offers. Consumer behaviour has changed too. Shopping trips need to become faster and easier – the average shopper has 3.6 trips during the week for top-up shops, rather than the traditional weekly shop.
Convenience stores have changed with our need for fresher & faster: availability and range key factors in their growth. The mission of the shopper has changed from grabbing a quick sandwich to a wide range of breakfasts, snacks and evening meals.
Success in the convenience sector drives £600 million annual investment. Symbol groups dominate with a 38% share, supermarket multiples have the largest turnover to store ratio, and independents and co-operatives are also thriving. With a £39 billion growing market it is clear why investments and improvements are taking place.
In order to contribute to the success of the convenience, Epta UK helps Retailers to win customer loyalty through eye-catching merchandising and layout that improve the shopping experience. Epta understands the limitations on space and offers numerous ranges and systems , developed to utilise space effectively. Some convenience stores choose remote cabinets where packs allow easy removal of hot air from stores, where others choose plug-ins for flexibility.
Furthermore, energy use and costs are central to any grocery retail operation; Epta’s cases are available with doors for improving energy efficiency, reducing airflow into the aisle, keeping product fresh and product visibility high. Among these solutions, the R&D Team at Epta has developed a range of vertical, positive and negative plug-ins under the Costan brand: Tango Next & Valzer Next. A combination of style and cutting-edge technical performance sees compact furnishings that combine the outstanding appearance of remote cabinets with the flexibility of a plug-in. The result is a greater use of display space, with 8% capacity increase.
There are technical and aesthetic features that allow units from both versions to be placed alongside one another, creating uniform and elegant appeal.
Convenience stores serve a huge proportion of customers; over 19,000 stores still provide rural areas with a local shop. Epta understands how heavy use can have an impact on door hinges, therefore Tango Next & Valzer Next doors are tested past 250,000 openings to ensure the quality needed in high footfall stores.
Epta UK was recently awarded the prestigious Direct Supplier of the Year 2017 award from The Co-Operative Group, the UK’s largest mutual business owned by over seven million of its customers and the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer, providing also several other services.
In July, Epta UK won the prestigious Direct Supplier of the Year for the third year in a row, in recognition of the excellent performance it has once again demonstrated. Morevoer, over the last few years Epta UK have also won numerous accolades at the Co-op’s annual Construction Awards due to the consistent, quality account management from the team at Epta UK and innovative approach they have with The Co-op.
The Co-op have 2800 stores in the UK of which Epta UK supplies with the highest quality commercial refrigeration, HVAC and Service. The commendation for the award described the account support, the consistency of strong KPIs, and how the winner brings sound supplier partnership input to jointly help the Co-op development programme.
One of the latest developments Epta UK have worked on with The Co-op is the innovative and energy saving Roll In Milk cabinet, shortlisted for the RAC Cooling Awards Retail Project of the Year 2017. In collaboration with Co-op, Epta UK has designed and tested a Roll In Milk cabinet with doors that has minimum impact on current operations. This new design transforms the Roll In Milk cabinet from EEI class D to B, making them acceptable under new EEI regulations, saving energy and cost.
John Austin-Davies, Commercial Director of Epta UK commented, “We are delighted that the teams efforts are celebrated once again and show that our expertise in the industry is being recognised by our key customers.” and concluded “Epta UK continues to value The Co-op as a key customer and looks forward to contributing to its success inspired by the claim “#EptaExperience is the way”. An opportunity to confirm once again our capacity to combine our expertise in innovation and personalisation, offering retailers’ Customers an original and captivating store experience.”
EptAcademy is the training project developed in conjunction with the SDA Bocconi School of Management – the world’s sixth-ranking Business School in the Executive Education: Custom Programs category, according to the league table drafted by the Financial Times in 2016. It is a mid-to-long-term process focusing on management of the Epta Group, to increase the team’s managerial and leadership skills.
In detail, EptAcademy involves two approaches: the Epta Leadership Program and Talent Development, respectively dedicated to more senior profiles and potential talent. The aim is to share academic best practices teamed with work on a business case devised purposely for Epta. The Academy will be a centre for skills which will be developed thanks to training sessions provided by SDA Bocconi lecturers and players from the international stage.
It is a strategic initiative aimed at tackling the challenges posed by the global refrigeration market. The Epta Leadership Program is divided into four (or 3+1) modules, and offers participants a strategic model geared towards leadership of markets and organisations within highly competitive global contexts. The Talent Development, on the other hand, is developed in five modules, each of which focuses on a primary role within a complex organisation.
Following the approach used in a condensed MBA, the programme sets out to give participants the chance to enhance their skills all-round in the various areas of the business process. It also aims to help them develop their talent, including the possibility of taking part in a group project task aimed at consolidating what they have learned.
Marco Nocivelli, President and Managing Director of the Epta Group, on the inauguration day of the EptAcademy, declared: “Pursuing a strategy geared towards guaranteeing the Group’s success is a challenge constantly tackled by Epta, which views leadership of its Team as its most important competitive lever. In fact, people are the pillars our future must be built upon. As a result, I am pleased to present to you the EptAcademy project, developed in conjunction with SDA Bocconi. The course will boost the skills of the Team as key elements that will allow us to reach our ambitious growth targets.”
To remain up-to-date on the latest news, follow the EptAcademy showcase page on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/eptacademy?trk=rr_brands_carousel_logo
