Applegreen to create 150 jobs in Naas with new forecourt

Fuel and forecourt retailer Applegreen said it plans to open a new €15m roadside service area and electric vehicle hub in Naas, Co Kildare, which will create 150 jobs.

The new Applegreen service area, which will be located close to the Naas Ball at Junction 9 on the M7, is part of a multi-million euro investment that Applegreen is making in its Irish business this year. It is due to open later this year.

The new site will have eight Applegreen Fast Charge ultra-fast EV chargers with a total of 16 charging points, a separate truck stop for HGV fuelling and a carwash.

It will also initially feature Popeyes and Taco Bell outlets, M&S Food, Crafted Kitchen & Deli as well as an Applegreen forecourt and convenience store.

Applegreen said the Popeyes outlet in Naas will be the first Popeyes Drive-Thru in the Republic of Ireland. An additional Drive-Thru outlet will also open at the new Naas site this winter, it added.

Applegreen now has almost 200 locations in the Irish market and the new Naas facility will be its second major new services area in Ireland in the past 12 months, after it opened a €15m site on the M3 in Dunshaughlin last September.

It has also introduced Taco Bell and Popeyes to its Irish operations in recent months and continues to expand its partnership with M&S Food, which is now available at 43 Applegreen locations.

Applegreen is currently investing €1 billion to grow its operations in Ireland, the UK and the US. It is adding new locations in all of its markets through developing and acquiring new sites and it is also continuing to upgrade and improve its existing network.

"Our new service area at the Naas Ball, Junction 9 on the M7 reflects our ambition to raise the bar for roadside hospitality in Ireland," said Seamus Stapleton, Managing Director of Applegreen's Republic of Ireland business.

"We are continuing to invest heavily in the Irish market, as we see significant long-term growth prospects for the Applegreen business. We have several additional new sites in the pipeline, and we are also continuing to upgrade existing locationsm" Mr Stapleton said.

"The recruitment process for the 150 new jobs that we are creating in Naas is already underway, and we're looking forward to welcoming additional colleagues into the Applegreen team," he added.