For La Grande Épicerie de Paris, Ecomatic reinvents the thermal comfort of the checkout team

Integrated directly into the furniture, heated baseboards provide gentle, targeted warmth to those exposed to drafts. A discreet, almost invisible intervention that nevertheless changes everything: the way comfort is experienced daily, at work.

In public spaces, the cold often settles in where it's least expected: at the workstation. Behind a cash register, counter, or reception desk, prolonged immobility exacerbates the feeling of thermal discomfort, especially when the space is large, drafty, or difficult to heat evenly. At La Grande Épicerie de Paris, this problem particularly affected the checkout stations. Located in large spaces, some of them exposed staff to recurring thermal discomfort. Until now, the most common solution was to install a portable heater in an already cramped area. This was an unsuitable solution, being both bulky, visible, and limited in its effectiveness. It was in this context that Ecomatic , alongside HESTIA GROUP, stepped in to design a custom-made solution capable of heating people directly while respecting the layout and visual identity of La Grande Épicerie de Paris's stores.

Targeted heating, integrated directly into the workstation

To address this issue, Ecomatic has developed an integrated solution for checkout counters: heated baseboards installed at the bottom, a heated threshold positioned at the back of the counter at the top, and a thermostat for precise temperature control. The goal is not to heat the entire space, but to deliver warmth where it is truly needed: at the counter staff's workstation. This more precise, comfortable, and efficient approach minimizes space requirements while significantly improving the quality of the workstation.

For Cap Ingelec, the design office that recommended Ecomatic for this project, the choice of this option met technical, aesthetic and usage criteria.

According to Hervé MARCHAUDON, Technical Director of HVAC Engineering at Cap Ingelec: “The initial need was very concrete: to improve the individual thermal comfort of cashiers seated at the registers. Ecomatic solutions stood out due to their compactness, discreetness, aesthetic integration, and also their ability to be adjusted in length. The comfort provided by radiant heating was also a real advantage. It's a solution we could certainly recommend and prescribe again, particularly for other retailers facing the same challenges.”

A first step towards wider deployment.

Founded on the legacy of Comptoir de l'Alimentation, La Grande Épicerie de Paris is one of the iconic addresses of Parisian food retail. Since its inception, it has embodied a certain rigor in product selection, customer experience, and the presentation of culinary expertise. In a place so attentive to hospitality, aesthetics, and the quality of the experience offered, integrating a heating solution could not simply be a technical response. It required designing an efficient, discreet system that blended seamlessly with the existing environment.

This initial implementation already paves the way for a wider deployment. Twelve additional cash registers have been validated, confirming the relevance of the system and its ability to be reproduced in other professional environments exposed to the same constraints: food shops, DIY stores, kiosks and reception counters, restaurants, hotels or industrial sites.

According to Fabien Hullar, founder and creator of Ecomatic: “This project perfectly illustrates what we at Ecomatic stand for: heating that adapts to uses, spaces, and people, not the other way around. In a space like La Grande Épicerie de Paris, every detail counts. We therefore needed to devise a solution that was efficient, discreet, and true to the aesthetic requirements of the space. It is this ability to make heat useful, integrated, and almost invisible that makes all the difference.”

Ecomatic, expertise in tailor-made solutions for demanding environments

This project follows on from several others undertaken by Ecomatic in locations with significant technical, aesthetic, and functional constraints. The Alsatian company notably equipped the Comptoir Gustave, a restaurant located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, as part of a renovation project. On this site, Ecomatic baseboard heaters were chosen for their discreetness, aesthetic appeal, and ability to integrate seamlessly into a high-traffic area, where staff comfort had to coexist with space optimization, visitor flow, and the architectural requirements of the monument. Since 2004, Ecomatic has been developing a different vision of heating. Originally inspired by Canadian systems, its baseboard heaters were designed by Fabien Hullar to improve heat distribution while freeing up space. Custom-made from plans, they adapt to the constraints of both individuals and professionals and are compatible with several energy sources: electricity, hot water, or dual energy.

Their operation relies on a combination of physical and thermodynamic principles—convection, inertia, and radiation—to diffuse a homogeneous, gentle, and controlled heat. This approach addresses very practical problems: eliminating cold walls, optimizing the use of space, improving perceived comfort, and avoiding unnecessary heating.

Patented, manufactured in Alsace and awarded the Grand Prix de l'Innovation at the Foire de Paris in 2024, Ecomatic solutions embody French know-how at the service of smarter, more discreet and more responsible comfort.