ICA and Coop report refrigeration failures at Swedish stores

ICA and Coop reported overnight refrigeration failures at Swedish grocery stores on November 2, disrupting cooling and freezer systems and prompting temporary closures and food losses. The cause of the incidents has not been established, and no responsible party has been identified. ICA said a limited number of its stores were affected. At least four branches, in Sjöbo, Tomelilla, Brösarp and Sankt Olof, were reported affected, with the company naming its Sjöbo and Tomelilla branches. The descriptions do not establish a confirmed total for ICA locations. At ICA Kvantum in Sjöbo, the store closed temporarily while staff addressed damage to its refrigeration systems. It hoped to reopen at 9 a.m. local time. Store manager Rickard Nilsson said temperatures exceeded 50°C and that food worth hundreds of thousands of Swedish kronor had been destroyed. That estimate applies to his store; ICA has not published a total loss figure for its affected branches. Coop told Aftonbladet that six of its Swedish stores had experienced similar incidents. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The reports do not establish whether the Coop and ICA problems had the same...