The innovative Woolworths at the new Palmyra Junction shopping centre in Claremont, Cape Town, which opens on 28 October, is not only the second largest Woolworths Foodmarket in the Western Cape (after Constantia Village), it¡¦s also the ¡¥greenest¡¦ Woolworths store yet. In fact, with a long list of environmentally friendly features, the 1200 m2 Woolies is set to be the greenest foodmarket in South Africa. For instance, the store will have automated doors to help maintain the interior temperature, as well as natural ventilation. Reclaimed heat from the store¡¦s refrigeration system and heat pumps will be used for under-floor heating. The store will also be equipped with a CO2 refrigeration system, first introduced at its Grey Owl, Midrand, store last year. CO2 is much more environmentally friendly than the synthetic gases generally used in refrigeration. Not only does CO2 (the same gas used to make carbonated beverages) have zero impact on the ozone layer and a greatly reduced impact on global warming, it also uses less energy. Woolworths has pioneered the use of CO2 refrigeration in South Africa. Eco-friendly refrigeration will also feature in the truck which will be delivering fresh produce to the store. The truck, part of a trial Woolworths is running, uses liquid nitrogen refrigeration to maintain the Woolworths cold chain during transport. Like CO2, liquid nitrogen refrigeration is much more environmentally friendly than conventional truck refrigeration systems (and much quieter). The introduction of this system is allowing Woolies to run an environmentally friendly supply chain from farm, through distribution centre, to ¡¥green¡¦ store. Skylights allow maximum use of natural light, while fully automated lighting will adjust to light conditions in the store, ensuring that no energy is wasted on lighting when natural light is available. LED, rather than fluorescent, lights are being used for bulkheads and external signage. Internal spot lights will also be energy-efficient LEDs. The store will also be equipped with Woolworths online energy metering system which constantly monitors the amount of electricity being used. A fully automated load control system will be installed to ensure that optimal use of electrical energy is achieved. Thanks to an LED display, customers will actually be able to see just how much electricity the store is using at any time. Municipal water usage will also be monitored remotely and, to help reduce water usage, the store also has a system for using harvested rainwater for its toilets. Woolworths is also making it easy for customers to be more ¡¥green¡¦ with a handy recycling drop-off point in the shopping centre parking lot for paper, plastic, glass and tins. In addition to a ¡¥green¡¦ shopping environment, customers can look forward to doing their entire shop in one convenient location. They¡¦ll find virtually all their Woolies favourites at the new Palmyra store, including Woolworths quality fresh foods, delicious prepared meals and snacks, and a wide range of organic foods, as well as a wine department, an in-store bakery, and a hot food counter. Commenting on the new store, Woolworths CEO, Simon Susman, said, ¡§Climate change and energy efficiency are two of the very real challenges facing all of us today. Woolworths is committed to continually working to increase the energy efficiency of our operations, as well as reducing our carbon emissions in meeting our Good Business Journey goals. This store, we believe, marks an important milestone towards these goals, and we look forward to exploring and implementing more new technologies in future.¡¨ Woolworths Palmyra Junction will be open weekdays from 09:00-19:00, Saturdays from 08:00-19:00, and Sundays from 09:00-19:00. ENDS NOTES FOR THE EDITOR „X Woolworths Good Business Journey: Woolworths Good business journey is a comprehensive 5-year plan announced in April 2007 to help people and planet. It incorporates a series of challenging targets and commitments centred on four key priorities: accelerating transformation, driving social development, enhancing Woolworths¡¦ environmental focus and addressing climate change. Part of this plan is a commitment to reduce Woolworths relative carbon footprint by 30% by 2012. This will be achieved in part through far reaching energy efficiencies and greener transport initiatives. „X Woolworths commitment to ecologically sound, energy efficient refrigeration: Woolworths has worked for over two decades to develop, design and install refrigeration plants which are energy efficient without compromising our highly demanding cold chain, which ensures that Woolworths products are kept at optimum temperatures to achieve the highest standards of quality and freshness. Our decision to replace conventional refrigerants with CO2 is part of our Good Business Journey. The initial intention was to find a solution which would help us phase out refrigeration gasses that harm the ozone layer as part of South Africa¡¦s commitment to the Montreal Protocol, (which must be affected by South Africa from 2013), but we decided to look beyond this, and develop a system that utilized a natural gas and also used less energy. Because CO2 works at a much higher pressure than conventional gasses (HCFCs), it was necessary to design and install an entirely new refrigeration system. Not only does CO2 have no impact on the degradation of the ozone layer but early indications are that the new refrigeration system also uses less energy.

The innovative Woolworths at the new Palmyra Junction shopping centre in Claremont, Cape Town, which opens on 28 October, is not only the second largest Woolworths Foodmarket in the Western Cape (after Constantia Village), it¡¦s also the ¡¥greenest¡¦ Woolworths store yet.