December 22, 2025
Axima Réfrigération is helping DS Restauration improve the energy efficiency of its logistics facility in the Rennes area
In Châteaubourg (35), DS Armorique—one of the five distribution centers of the DS Restauration group and a major player in food distribution in France—took on a twofold challenge: expanding its logistics facility while reducing its energy consumption. This goal was achieved thanks to support from the Rennes office of Axima Réfrigération France, a specialist in natural and carbon-free refrigeration solutions, which designed and installed a new CO₂ refrigeration plant. The result: energy performance exceeding initial targets and stable energy costs despite the facility’s size having doubled.
A redesigned site that balances growth with energy efficiency
In a logistics facility, refrigeration can account for up to 50% of electricity consumption. Optimizing it is therefore a key strategy for addressing three imperatives: economic, by reducing operating costs and stabilizing energy bills; environmental, by limiting the carbon footprint through sustainable technologies and natural refrigerants; and regulatory, by complying with the requirements of the F-Gas Regulation and the Tertiary Sector Decree, which impose ambitious consumption reduction targets.
Faced with growing volumes and seeking to optimize its refrigeration systems, DS Armorique chose to completely overhaul its refrigeration system. Axima Réfrigération, a subsidiary of Equans France with over 30 years of expertise in natural refrigerant systems, led the complete overhaul of the refrigeration system, doubling the refrigerated area and installing an energy-optimized transcritical CO₂ plant.
The project was carried out without interrupting the cold chain, ensuring the continuity of logistics operations. Upon completion of the project, the storage area doubled while the energy bill remained the same.
An innovative, high-performance, and sustainable facility
Beyond technological change, the project carried out for DS Armorique is part of a broader commitment to performance and sustainability. It is based on a ten-year Energy Performance Contract (EPC), which guarantees the company long-term technical and financial support.
Thanks to this program, energy consumption is continuously monitored and optimized, with specific performance commitments and remote management of the facilities. The logistics hub now features a state-of-the-art refrigeration system that ranks among the most efficient on the market.
It incorporates a innovation unprecedented in logistics in France: the combination of positive-negative evaporator supercharging, which involves injecting an additional quantity of refrigerant into the evaporators to improve heat exchange.
The result: the cooling surface operates at 100% of its capacity, cooling is produced more efficiently, and energy consumption remains perfectly controlled. This unique technological advancement enables DS Armorique to produce more cooling with the same amount of electricity. Another advantage: a heat recovery system that recovers up to 250 kW of energy. In practical terms, the heat generated by the compressors is recovered instead of being lost, and then used to defrost the equipment and keep the floors frost-free.
“This project demonstrates that it is possible to combine business growth, energy efficiency, and environmental responsibility. By choosing the CPE model and CO₂ technology, DS Restauration is leading the way for many logistics hubs that are currently grappling with aging, energy-intensive refrigeration systems. This type of modernization proves that investing in energy efficiency also means investing in the competitiveness and sustainability of our regional businesses,” explains Aymeric Rehel, construction manager at Axima Réfrigération, a division of Equans France.
