Dierbergs Markets' is going greener than ever with a new ground-up store that the chain says will be the first supermarket in the U.S. to field-test leading-edge air conditioning equipment that merges two existing environmentally friendly applications: digital scroll technology and R-410A refrigerant.

That's not the typical Dierbergs boast. But the store, in Arnold, Mo., will also meet the chain's requirements for outstanding fresh and prepared foods. The green gains at the store include the fact that all of its dairy and beer products are in closed-door cases -- a first for a newly constructed supermarket in St. Louis, where Dierbergs is based. Also, all the refrigerated cases in the store feature new energy-efficient, motion-controlled lighting solutions.

The Arnold Dierbergs will also be able to stay open for business even in the event of a local power blackout, thanks to an on-site emergency generator that can handle the store's operating functions, including the load of all those refrigerated cases and freezers.

"We believe we're the first supermarket in the metro area with this back-up capacity," Todd Vasel, Dierbergs' spokesman told Progressive Grocer. "It's a great feature, particularly since the St. Louis-area has been hit with significant power outages in recent years."

Scheduled to open Tues., May 13 in the Arnold Commons Shopping Center at Highway 141 and I-55, the store will use up to 15 percent less energy than units Dierbergs built as recently as two years ago, Vasel said, even though the chain was energy-efficiency minded as well back then.

"Energy conservation is not a new concept to us," said Greg Dierberg, president of the family held company. "Our new-store planning processes always start with the challenge of finding new ways to save energy...to make decisions that are smart for our business and smart for the environment. The solutions at our new Arnold store are particularly exciting because they take advantage of brand-new, state-of-the-art technologies designed to conserve energy and positively impact the environment."

Concurrent with the opening of the 71,477-square-foot Arnold store, Dierbergs is celebrating the completion of a major remodel of its Telegraph unit, which opened in 1989 and which now contains a large Whole Life department offering natural and organic foods. The unit also has upgraded and increased space in the prepared foods and perishable areas, including the addition of a sushi bar and an olive bar.

With the remodeling of the Telegraph store and the upcoming completion of its Mackenzie Point remodeling in the fall, nearly all Dierbergs stores will have been updated to a new-generation store level, keeping dEcor, services, and product offerings consistent across the company's locations, the company said.

The Arnold store sports Dierbergs' trademark features, such as: a large selection of fresh-prepared foods from the grocer's 35,000-square-foot central kitchen; a specialty meat menu offering more than 60 Chef's Creations meat entrees ready for the oven or grill; a seafood department with a menu of ready-to-cook seafood selections; and Dierbergs' Whole Life Foods store-within-a-store.

Among other highlights of Dierbergs' new Arnold store: Extensive variety with more than 75,000 SKUs; an expansive olive and antipasti bar in the deli; a number of metro-area exclusives including My Daddy's Cheesecakes, Tippin's Pies and Perdue All-Natural Fresh Packaged Chicken; light, healthy and delicious selections prepared at Dierbergs' sushi bar by in-store professional sushi chefs; a comprehensive party center for fine wines, table wines, spirits and domestic and imported beers.

Dierbergs operates 23 stores in metropolitan St. Louis.