Quick Answer
A glass door merchandiser is an upright display fridge with one, two or three glass doors, built to show and chill drinks and packaged food at around +2°C to +10°C. In the UK, single-door models cost about £630 to £1,200, double-door models £1,150 to £2,600, and triple-door models £1,750 to £3,600. A single door typically holds around 350 to 450 cans; a triple door can hold well over 1,500.
Caterzone supplies glass door merchandisers and upright drinks chillers to UK cafés, takeaways, convenience stores, sandwich shops, gyms and canteens. A well-lit glass door merchandiser by the till is one of the simplest ways to add drinks sales: customers see cold cans and bottles, open the door and pay, with no staff time needed.
This guide explains single, double and triple door options, how to estimate capacity in cans and bottles, hinged versus sliding doors, branding canopies and LED lighting, real running costs, and the UK rules that apply when the same fridge holds food as well as drinks. Browse the bottle cooler collection as you read.
What is a glass door merchandiser?
A glass door merchandiser is a full-height display fridge with a glazed door, internal LED lighting and adjustable shelves, designed to sell stock rather than just store it. Drinks companies often call them visi-coolers. Compared with a kitchen storage fridge, the glass door shows the product, the lighting makes it stand out, and many models have an illuminated header panel for branding.
Merchandisers usually run warmer than kitchen fridges, with typical ranges of +2°C to +10°C or +2°C to +12°C, because cans and bottles do not need to be held as cold as raw food. Some models, such as the Tefcold Atom Maxi range (–1°C to +10°C) and the LGC range (+1°C to +8°C), can be set colder for chilled food. Check the range before you plan to stock sandwiches, dairy or meat.
If you need under-counter drinks storage behind a bar, a back bar bottle cooler is a better fit; our bottle cooler and back bar fridge guide covers those.
Single, double or triple door: which size do you need?
Single-door merchandisers are typically 45cm to 65cm wide and around 1.8m to 2m tall, holding roughly 200 to 450 litres. They suit cafés, takeaways and small shops selling one or two drinks ranges. The Combisteel 360 litre single door, for example, is 610mm wide and 1,973mm tall.
Double-door merchandisers run from around 1m to 1.2m wide and roughly 500 to 900 litres. They suit convenience stores and busy cafés that want soft drinks on one side and water, juice, milk or food on the other. The Combisteel 670 litre double door is 1,120mm wide.
Triple-door merchandisers, around 1.5m to 1.9m wide and 1,000 litres or more, are for shops where chilled drinks are a major category, or where one long run looks better than three separate fridges. The Combisteel 1,065 litre triple door is 1,600mm wide with 12 shelves.
Size to your busiest day. Stock in a merchandiser needs time to chill after loading, so you want enough capacity to hold a full day's sales plus cold back-up at the rear of each shelf. Running out of cold cans on a hot Saturday costs more than a slightly larger fridge.
How many cans and bottles does a drinks chiller hold?
Manufacturers quote litres, but cans and bottles are what you actually sell. Litres are a poor guide because shelf spacing, door frames and air gaps all take room. Where Tefcold and Combisteel publish product counts, use those:
- Combisteel 232 litre slimline with canopy: 230 x 330ml cans or 105 x 500ml bottles.
- Tefcold CEV425CP (345 litres net): 357 x 330ml cans or 213 x 330ml bottles.
- Tefcold FS1380 (219 litres net): 455 x 330ml cans or 217 x 330ml bottles.
- Tefcold FSC1000H double door (524 litres net): 1,066 x 330ml cans or 520 x 330ml bottles.
- Tefcold Atom Maxi C3DB triple door (1,264 litres net): 1,750 x 330ml cans or 980 x 330ml bottles.
Note the FS1380 holds more cans than the larger-volume CEV425CP. Shelf count and depth decide how much fits, not just the litre figure. These counts assume the fridge packed full, so treat them as a maximum, not a working figure; a merchandised display with facings and price tickets holds less.
Hinged or sliding doors?
Hinged doors seal well, are easy for customers to use, and are the default on most single-door units. They need space in front to swing open, so check the aisle width. Self-closing hinges, fitted on ranges such as the Tefcold Atom Maxi and LGC, stop customers leaving doors ajar, which saves energy and protects stock temperature.
Sliding doors suit narrow aisles and tight spaces behind counters, because nothing swings out. On double-door models only one side can be open at a time. Tefcold's FSC1000S and FS1202S and the Blizzard 900 litre sliding version are sliding-door options. If your fridge must sit against a wall on one side, also check whether the hinge can be reversed; Tefcold stocks the FS1380 in a left-hand hinge version for that reason.
Glass door merchandiser comparison
| Merchandiser | Doors / capacity | Key specs | Best for | Price (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combisteel 360L black | 1 door, 360L | +1 to +10°C, R290, 3.82kWh/24h, energy class C | Cafés and takeaways on a budget | £630.90 |
| Tefcold CEV425CP | 1 door, 345L | Illuminated canopy, LED in door frame, 2.25kWh/24h | Branded drinks displays | £934.80 |
| Tefcold FS1380 | 1 door, 219L | 5 shelves, 455 cans, 2.2kWh/24h, lock | Shops and cafés wanting a proven workhorse | £991.20 |
| Combisteel 670L | 2 doors, 670L | +1 to +10°C, 8 shelves, 5.5kWh/24h | Busy cafés, small convenience stores | £1,156.90 |
| Tefcold FSC1000H | 2 doors, 524L | LED canopy, 1,066 cans, 5.96kWh/24h | Branded twin-category displays | £2,354.40 |
| Combisteel 1,065L | 3 doors, 1,065L | 1,600mm wide, 12 shelves, 8.7kWh/24h | Large range at a low price | £1,751.90 |
| Tefcold Atom Maxi C3DB | 3 doors, 1,264L | –1 to +10°C, frameless self-closing doors, 1,750 cans, 5.41kWh/24h | Convenience stores, delis, food and drink | £3,464.40 |
Branding canopies and LED lighting: are they worth it?
A branding canopy is an illuminated panel on top of the fridge that can carry your logo or a drinks brand's artwork. It makes the fridge visible from across the shop and from the street through the window. The Tefcold CEV425CP, FSC1000H and LGC models and the Combisteel 232 litre slimline all come with a light canopy, and the Blizzard 900 litre double has an illuminated top panel with customisable graphics.
Some drinks suppliers will part-fund or provide branded coolers in return for stocking their range, which is worth asking about. If you buy your own, a canopy lets you promote your own products instead. Canopy-free designs such as the Tefcold Atom Maxi suit shopfitters who want a run of fridges to look clean and uniform.
LED interior lighting is now standard on most merchandisers and uses less power and gives off less heat than older fluorescent tubes. Vertical LED strips in the door frame, as on the Tefcold CEV425CP and LGC range, light every shelf evenly; a single light at the top leaves lower shelves darker. Look for a separate lighting switch so you can turn the lights off when closed.
What does a drinks chiller cost to run?
Display fridges sold in the UK carry an energy label with a declared consumption, which makes comparison straightforward. At about 25p per kWh:
- Tefcold FS1380, 2.2kWh/24h: about 55p a day, or roughly £200 a year.
- Combisteel 360 litre, 3.82kWh/24h: about 96p a day, or roughly £350 a year.
- Tefcold Atom Maxi C3DB triple door, 5.41kWh/24h: about £1.35 a day, or roughly £490 a year.
- Combisteel 1,065 litre triple door, 8.7kWh/24h: about £2.18 a day, or roughly £790 a year.
The cheapest fridge to buy is not always the cheapest to own. On the figures above, the Atom Maxi costs about £1,700 more than the Combisteel triple door but uses roughly £300 a year less electricity, so it closes most of the gap over a typical working life.
Check the climate class against your room. Climate class 4 cabinets, such as the Tefcold FS1380, CEV425CP and FSC1000H, are rated for rooms up to 30°C; climate class 3 models such as the Atom Maxi are rated up to 25°C. Combisteel quotes a 32°C maximum ambient for its merchandisers. Leave the ventilation gap the manual asks for, keep the fridge out of direct sunlight, and clean the condenser regularly.
Can a drinks chiller hold food? UK rules to know
If the fridge only holds sealed canned and bottled soft drinks, there is no legal temperature requirement; you chill them because customers want them cold. As soon as you add sandwiches, dairy, salads or other foods that need chilling for safety, the cabinet becomes part of your food safety system. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, that food must be kept at 8°C or below, and 5°C or below is good practice. In Scotland, food must be kept chilled, with 5°C or below recommended.
That means checking the merchandiser can hold 5°C or lower in your room, with the door being opened, and recording the temperature at least daily. Many drinks chillers set to +2°C to +10°C ranges can do this, but a cheaper static-cooled fridge in a warm shop may not keep the top shelf cold enough. Fan-assisted cooling, which every model in the comparison table above uses, keeps the temperature more even from top to bottom.
Plug-in merchandisers should be PAT tested, and any repair to the refrigeration circuit must be carried out by an F-gas certified engineer. Most new merchandisers use natural refrigerants such as R290 or R600a.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a glass door merchandiser cost in the UK?
New single-door merchandisers start at around £630 and run to about £1,200. Double-door models typically cost £1,150 to £2,600 and triple-door models £1,750 to £3,600, all including VAT. Branding canopies, frameless doors and colder temperature ranges push prices up.
How many cans fit in a single-door drinks fridge?
Most single-door drinks fridges hold roughly 230 to 450 x 330ml cans when fully packed. The Tefcold FS1380 is rated for 455 cans and the Tefcold CEV425CP for 357. Shelf layout matters as much as litres, so check the manufacturer's can count.
What temperature should a drinks display fridge be set to?
For drinks only, 3°C to 5°C serves cans and bottles cold. If the fridge also holds food that needs chilling, keep it at 5°C or below; the legal maximum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 8°C. Record the temperature daily.
Is a hinged or sliding door better on a drinks chiller?
Hinged doors usually seal better and suit most shop floors. Sliding doors are better for narrow aisles and behind counters because nothing swings out. Self-closing hinged doors are the best option for energy use where customers serve themselves.
Can I put my own branding on a glass door merchandiser?
Yes, on models with an illuminated canopy or header panel. The Tefcold CEV425CP, FSC1000H and LGC range and the Blizzard 900 litre double all have one. Ask a sign maker for a printed insert sized to the canopy.
Where to buy a glass door merchandiser in the UK
Caterzone stocks single, double and triple door merchandisers from Tefcold, Combisteel and Blizzard. Good starting points are the Tefcold FS1380 at £991.20, the branded Tefcold CEV425CP with illuminated canopy at £934.80, the Combisteel 232 litre slimline with canopy at £969.90, the Tefcold FSC1000H double door at £2,354.40, the Blizzard 900 litre double door at £2,169, and the Tefcold Atom Maxi C3DB triple door at £3,464.40. See the full bottle cooler collection for more options.
For more on chilled display, read our Tefcold vs Polar bottle cooler comparison and our bottle cooler and back bar fridge guide. For help sizing a drinks chiller for your shop, call Caterzone on +44 7787 069044 or email info@thecaterzone.co.uk.
