FRICON will present four commercial refrigeration solutions at GulfHost 2026 in Dubai, giving foodservice and hospitality buyers a closer look at how the Portuguese manufacturer is adapting refrigeration equipment for space efficiency, product visibility, mobility and in-store flexibility.
The company will exhibit at Dubai World Trade Centre from 3 to 5 November 2026 in Za’abeel Hall 4, Stand Z4-F68, where it will showcase the COMBI SLB FV 2200, VCV 1V YWC FV, PUSHY BIKE WHEELS and CLN 186 HC.
The product line-up, shared directly with Grocery Trade News, gives a clearer picture of what FRICON wants buyers to notice in 2026: compact refrigeration, stronger merchandising visibility, mobile selling formats and equipment designed to perform in tighter commercial footprints.
One of the headline models will be the COMBI SLB FV 2200, designed to make better use of available floor space. It combines a lower chest freezer from FRICON’s SLB range with an Upperdeck, creating additional product storage while increasing product visibility and display capacity.
For supermarket and foodservice operators, that addresses a practical commercial problem. Floor space is expensive, particularly in compact urban stores, convenience-led formats and hospitality locations where every square metre has to contribute to sales.
By combining frozen storage with an elevated display element, the COMBI SLB FV 2200 gives operators a way to increase merchandising capacity without simply increasing the equipment footprint.
FRICON will also show the VCV 1V YWC FV, which the company describes as a high-impact vertical unit with a modern design aimed at enhancing product visibility.
That merchandising role is increasingly important. Commercial refrigeration is no longer judged only on temperature performance. Retailers and foodservice operators also expect cabinets to support presentation, customer visibility and impulse purchasing, particularly across beverages, frozen products and grab-and-go categories.
The third solution, PUSHY BIKE WHEELS, takes FRICON beyond traditional fixed-location refrigeration. The company says the concept is particularly suitable for mobile businesses and brand activations.
That gives the GulfHost display a different dimension. Mobile foodservice, event retailing and experiential brand activity are becoming more important across tourism, hospitality and temporary commercial environments. Equipment that can support flexible selling models outside a permanent store can therefore open a different set of commercial opportunities.
The fourth unit, the CLN 186 HC, was presented at EuroShop 2026. FRICON says it belongs to a product range similar to its CLS range but has a reduced depth, allowing it to occupy less space in-store.
That reinforces a clear theme across FRICON’s 2026 product development: achieving more from the available footprint. Reduced-depth refrigeration can be particularly relevant in smaller stores, narrow layouts and high-value retail space where circulation and merchandising have to be balanced carefully.
FRICON’s GulfHost appearance comes during the Portuguese manufacturer’s 50th anniversary year.
Founded in 1976, FRICON has developed from its Portuguese roots into an international commercial refrigeration business. The company says its partnerships now extend across more than 130 countries.
Its portfolio spans supermarkets, frozen foods and ice cream, beverages and mobile refrigeration, giving it exposure to both food retail and foodservice markets.
That crossover is particularly relevant at GulfHost, which brings together hospitality operators, restaurants, cafés, catering companies, distributors and equipment buyers alongside a wider food-industry audience.
The event is co-located with Gulfood Manufacturing, ISM Middle East and Private Label Middle East, creating links across food production, packaging, private label, retail and hospitality.
Energy efficiency and environmental performance are also increasingly central to refrigeration purchasing decisions. Equipment can remain in continuous operation, making electricity use, refrigerant choice, maintenance and usable capacity important parts of the total cost of ownership.
FRICON has been developing equipment around those pressures, with recent product work focused on efficiency, design and lower-impact refrigeration technologies.
The company’s appearance in Dubai also follows EuroShop 2026, where FRICON marked its 50th anniversary and presented new commercial refrigeration developments to international retail buyers.
GulfHost provides a different audience, but the commercial logic is similar: meeting international buyers looking for equipment that combines refrigeration performance with stronger merchandising and more efficient use of space.
FRICON is also included in Grocery Trade News’ analysis of Portugal’s leading supermarket refrigeration companies, where the country’s domestic manufacturers have built a larger export role than the size of the Portuguese grocery market alone might suggest.
For FRICON, GulfHost 2026 will provide another platform to show how five decades of refrigeration experience are being translated into equipment for changing food retail and foodservice formats.
FRICON will exhibit at GulfHost 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Za’abeel Hall 4, Stand Z4-F68, from 3 to 5 November 2026.
Editor’s Note: Product details for the COMBI SLB FV 2200, VCV 1V YWC FV, PUSHY BIKE WHEELS and CLN 186 HC were supplied directly to Grocery Trade News by FRICON ahead of GulfHost 2026.
