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APPLEGREEN SERVICE STATIONS nearly doubled their profits last year despite what the company says are tough conditions in the fuel trade.
The brand’s parent company, Petrogas Global, increased its turnover last year to €804.5 million from €717.3 million in 2012 as it continued a quick rollout of new outlets.
The firm had 75 Irish service stations running at the end of last year, but it has since opened another 17 sites in the Republic.
In the UK, Petrogas runs 53 service stations under the Applegreen brand and it recently established a foothold in the US with 2 new outlets on the east coast within the past 6 months.
Against a “tough trading environment” in both Ireland and the UK, and lower profits on fuel, the company’s pre-tax profit hit €10.1 million – up from €5.8 million the previous year.
Earlier this year the company announced it was recruiting another 360 staff across the country as it launched new outlets in Wicklow, Birdhill in Co Tipperary, Swords in Dublin and Lemybrien in Co Waterford, among other sites.
Low price strategy and burgers helping trade
The company’s operations director, Joe Barrett, said Applegreen had “traded well in tough conditions” thanks to its “low fuel prices always” strategy and food-and-drink partners like Burger King, Subway and Costa Coffee.
The combination of motorway super service stations, selective greenfield developments on major trunk routes, acquisition and re-branding of smaller sites and the broadening of dealer agreements with independent operators gives us a strong growth platform,” he said.
Retail fuel prices have been falling recently as the glut of oil production, which has led to cheaper commodity prices, begins to filter down through the system.
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The sight of diesel @ 0.99 per lt gave me a happy feeling in my pants, where is that station
Imagine what a 69 would do to ya.
And unleaded petrol only costs a Skoda, that’s pretty much giving it away for free!
1.34’8 @ Collinstown Top site on the old airport road this am
I’m sure they’ve created a fair few jobs as well too. Good on them.
Extra retail doesn’t creat jobs. Only reshuffles the deck. Tesco, Super Value et al always roll out that PR and media buy it hook line and sinker. Garages closing down everywhere. I’m not against it ( it’s competition) just call what it is properly.
But they don’t honour their applegreen rewards ! Last night tried to buy a bale of briquettes and a zip firelog as advertised in their points rewards letter for €4.50.
Sorry we don’t do that ! A mistake at head office, I was told.
Won’t be buying petrol or anything there for a long time.
I always stop at AppleGreen if I’m buying petrol, it’s far cheaper than any other petrol station where I’m from! :-)
Good for them, it will make it easier to Boycott Topaz.
The big ones on the motorway you only get all day breakfast which is muck or a burger king why no deli to get a freshly made sandwich instead of one out of a package for a fiver very unhealthy
And the shop closes at about 11pm so only fuel available during the night
Subway do lovely fresh salads in the motorway ones
What have they got against Connacht?
One opening on the Tuam road in Galway.
Should be one on the N17 – “stone walls and an Applegreen…”
Haha Brilliant
You win the Internets today Brendan
We got 2 in Sligo last week, petrol much cheaper
Hope they put Denis O’Briens Jobbtidge abusing Topaz out of business.
Their fuel sucks though
Eoin I don’t know what you’re driving but I’ve clocked quite a few different garages and Applegreen always comes up on top, there’s a Texaco out near fairyhouse that seems to go a bit longer but it’s better than 90% of the garages out there for my Focus diesel.
I’ve never got decent fuel from them and people i know have had trouble with their engines after filling up with them
Pity their fuel is so poor quality. Could be as much as 100km on a tank of diesel. Better paying the few cent more for a better fuel for your engine
How this is a “positive” story is beyond me. Smaller locally owned Independent service stations being forced out by a large player that brings nothing to local areas. Vast majority of their staff are on minimum wage with the profits going to an elite few. The products sold in each station are almost exclusively other “big brands” (Burger King, Subway etc) which compounds the situation further. Any smaller local brands that are stocked are totally squeezed on margin for the opportunity to sell into their network.
The race to the bottom continues…
I questioned the manager of the Mt Merrion branch, about always having the cheapest fuel, as thus advertise that point everywhere. I had seen three stations selling cheaper fuel within two miles of them. He shrugged his shoulders and said that they were as cheap as the other stations on the same stretch of road ! Cartel anyone ?
They are NOT the cheapest – you will get much better deals
I have found that Applegreen are like all the rest exploiting motorists and are opportunistic where their prices are concerned instead of trying to peg lower prices in all of their outlets.
Spot on Chris. One thing I did not point out, in defence of Apple Green, is that their station in Mt Merrion is actually one of the best in the country in terms of services, food and coffee etc etc – but that in no way excuses their prices. I don’t have a problem with them charging the prices they do, just don’t tell us they are ‘always the cheapest’ – they are not
Well done Joe, great to see an Irish business doing so well.
Before I switch by business to them I want to know two things:
1. Has Denis O’Brien any involvement with Applegreen ??
2. Do they use Jobs bridge ?
If the answer is NO to both these, I’ll use Applegreen every time.
If the answer is YES to either, then, I’ll pass it every time I can.
I hope you don’t ever fly out of Dublin airport then!!
Ivan,
This is called the “Comments” section, not the “Stupid Questions” section.
If you want to know the answers to your questions, look it up.
Still it’s good to see competent people achieving success. Now. … if only we could nominate Joe Barrett for Taoischeach
Well sail Daniel. It took a while but the wolves found us. Just when we thought our own were bad enough.
Why Do Apple Greens avoid Galway? Need to stop shopping in Topaz got the IW reason
Never mind this new fangled petroleum stuff. Where’s the cheapest place I can get carrots for the donkey?
have your say