Article

BRC Retail Retrofit Workshop Overview

18 July 202510 Minute Read

BRC Retail Retrofit Workshop Overview

Purpose
To explore challenges, share best practices, and identify priority actions for achieving energy efficiency and net zero in the retail sector.

Format
Facilitated group discussions across three key questions.

Participants
BRC members from across the retail industry, including sustainability, property, and operational teams.

BRC Retail Sector Workshop Summary - Presented by Mitsubishi Electric

As part of Mitsubishi Electric’s recent engagement with the Building Retail Consortium (BRC), we facilitated a workshop with retail professionals to explore key opportunities and challenges in driving energy efficiency and achieving net zero in retail spaces. Three group discussions generated valuable insight across the following areas:

Q1. What challenges hinder improving energy efficiency and achieving net zero targets in your retail spaces?

Participants identified a range of barriers across financial, technical, operational, and regulatory domains:

Financial Constraints: Capital expenditure (CAPEX) limitations, legacy budgeting practices, and reliance on traditional ROI models restrict the ability to fund retrofit/and new projects.
Technical Limitations: Challenges around electrical infrastructure, electrical capacity constraints (particularly when de-gassing), and building fabric or structural integrity issues hinder progress.
Operational Barriers: Limited retrofit windows, site-user knowledge gaps, and lack of internal expertise or product/operational data impede strategic planning and delivery.
Policy & Regulatory Factors: A lack of government incentives and policy direction was cited as a major inhibitor.
Sustainability Considerations: Lifecycle risks, such as end-of-life equipment disposal and supply chain human rights concerns, are increasingly influencing decision-making.
Other Practical Concerns: Issues related to lighting, space, solar deployment limitations (especially with landlords), controls strategy, and EV/fleet electrification were also raised.

Q2. What improvements have you been able to make and what enabled them?

Despite the challenges, several tangible improvements have been implemented across the sector, enabled by practical solutions and stronger internal alignment:

Technology Upgrades: Introduction of doors on fridges, LED lighting (including LED fly killers), and use of lower-GWP refrigerants.
Operational Efficiency: Improved Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) usage, enhanced ventilation strategies, and adoption of solar technologies in some locations.
Strategic Enablers: Building trust with senior leadership, leveraging successful outcomes, and aligning departmental drivers were key to unlocking investment.
Policy & Compliance: Adhering to compliance standards and official guidance helped justify action, while legislative drivers also played a role.
Infrastructure Investment: Some businesses have been able to invest in grid infrastructure and substation upgrades.
Procurement Strategy: Cost-effective procurement through bulk buying and soft-landing strategies have contributed to OPEX reductions.
External Factors: In some cases, landlord directives or major incidents (e.g. fire damage) created the opportunity for substantial upgrades.

Q3. What are the key things that need to happen/change in the short term/mid term (now to 2030) to move your business forward on this journey?

To accelerate progress toward net zero, participants highlighted the need for:

Market & Policy Stability: Greater political and regulatory stability, coupled with long-term energy policy certainty, is essential.
Energy & Infrastructure: Reducing electricity prices and increasing access to renewable energy are key priorities.
Technology Development: Investment in smaller, more flexible technologies is needed, while managing the risks of adopting new systems too early or too late.
Data & Measurement: Sharing of data and establishing clear, current baselines across portfolios are critical to informed decision-making.
Cultural & Strategic Shifts: More focus is needed on large-scale impact initiatives (“big stuff”), supported by cross-functional alignment and knowledge sharing.