The situation, which retailers were anticipating: due to the extreme heat, cooling systems are failing one after another.
An extreme heat wave expected in the summer of 2026 caused serious problems in the food retail sector, particularly in the cooling systems of supermarkets, which were unable to cope with the high temperatures. Many cooling units in France and the Netherlands broke down, leading to store closures. As a result, the industry is shifting towards more durable solutions instead of environmentally friendly, but heat-sensitive CO₂ cooling technologies.
The devastating European heatwave of summer 2026 highlighted an overlooked vulnerability in the food retail sector: the inability of supermarket refrigeration systems to withstand extreme heat. Due to repeated breakdowns and store closures experienced in France and the Netherlands, the industry is now turning towards more robust technologies instead of environmentally friendly, but heat-sensitive, CO₂ systems, according to the ESM retail sector portal.
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