A retailer shopping centers and supermarkets, Big C welcomes thousands of shoppers every day. Its power expenditure accounts for a proportion as large as 30% of the total outsourced service costs. Thus, energy saving activities will bring about practical benefits, helping the retailer meet dual targets: reducing costs to fulfill its mission statement “low prices for every one” to boost its market share, and achieving the national target in energy savings and efficiency together with the whole society.

Signing ceremony of two contracts

In a speech at the signing ceremony of two energy saving contracts between Big C and Thang Long Light JSC and Shneider Electric Vietnam Co. on May 14th, Mr. Pascal Billaud, CEO of Big C Vietnam said that his company is well aware of the benefits that energy savings can bring for the survival and development of a business. From its very first days in Vietnam, Big C has continuously worked hard to find feasible solutions to efficient use of energy. At the moment, the Board of Directors instruct that its new branches be built with a green design including 3D walls that can store up heat and devices to accumulate power at night, then supplying electricity to cooling systems during the day.

The two contracts have resulted from Big C’s yearlong study of power saving solutions under the project called “Big C’s implementation of power saving projects” which started in the mid- 2009 with a total investment of VND13 billion (about US $700,000). The project focuses on energy audit activities, proposals for energy savings and loss prevention, the replacement of all T8 fluorescent light bulbs with more power saving T5 ones and the installation of an energy management system at all Big C’s shopping centers and supermarkets in Vietnam.

30% of the total outsourced service costs is for energy

By June, 2010, Big C’s chain of stores in Vietnam will be all equipped with 32,000 T5 fluorescent light bulbs valued at VND9 billion (US $485,000). This move will help Big C save 30% of power for lighting but still meet Vietnam’s illuminating standards. Also, the energy management system worth VND3 billion (US $150,000) provided by Schneider Electric Vietnam Co. is due to come into use by early July, 2010. The energy management solution bases on the use of energy meters and Powerlogic ION software which assist Big C in supervising, updating and analyzing the amounts of energy consumed at every store.

On behalf of the State Agency for energy efficiency, Mr. Tran Viet Hoa, a team leader in the Energy Efficiency Office under Ministry of Industry and Trade held that Big C’s power saving program has suggested a positive change in the business sector’s awareness of energy conservation. He hopes that there will be more companies following Big C to implement energy saving solutions to benefit themselves as well as to contribute to the national effort in assuring the sufficiency of power for the socio-economic development and environment conservation.

With such a big power saving project, Big C has become a pioneer in this field through energy efficiency solutions and a green-based sustainable brand positioning strategy.

By Hong Nhung