Ballymena service station transformed thanks to £2.35million investment

Northern Ireland’s family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, Maxol has completed its transformation of Braid River Service Station in Ballymena following an investment of £2.35million.

The investment is part of a wider five-year £84m capital investment programme across The Maxol Group to create a network of convenience-led forecourt services that offer customers quality, value and choice.

A new Ultra Rapid EV Charging Hub - the second to be developed by Maxol and the second of its kind in Northern Ireland – has opened and features four high-powered 200kw ultra-rapid chargers that charge a single vehicle in as little as 15 minutes. The chargers are powered using renewable electricity, as part of Maxol’s sustainability strategy.

Maxol Braid River offers the latest Spar concept with a new store of 246 sq. metres to give customers even more choice, as well as a double Barista Bar coffee unit, brand new Delish deli and in-store bakery.

Brian Donaldson, chief executive officer of The Maxol Group said: “We are delighted with our latest investment at Maxol Braid River, it is now a modern, welcoming store that marks a further milestone on our journey towards becoming known for our convenience-led retail offer.

"Customers can now pop into this store to enjoy freshly prepared food to go from the Delish deli or they can do a basket shop in our newly expanded SPAR store packed with an extensive range of groceries for every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner as well as plenty of snacks and treats.

"The in-store offer reflects the ‘Bags More’ advertising campaign we launched some weeks ago to highlight the range of goods now available at Maxol stores and Braid River is now a leading example of that in Ballymena with our partner Spar.

"This is our second EV Charging Hub designed to offer the latest technology and fastest speed of charging available for our customers along with the continued rollout of our sustainable forecourt design. This investment reinforces our continued commitment to being a more sustainable forecourt convenience retailer offering the highest quality of facilities and products.

"The site is operated independently by our licensee Aramark and I wish Nicola and her excellent team every success at Maxol Braid River."

Non-food items available include a comprehensive range of Maxol own-brand engine oil, adblue and car care products. Car parking facilities have more than doubled to 32 spaces and Premium Fuels have been introduced to enable customers to make greener motoring choices and Pay at Pump technology is now available.

Maxol’s innovative and sustainable forecourt design has been fully implemented at Maxol Braid River. Cutting-edge technology has been used to reduce the site’s carbon footprint which include photovoltaic (solar) panels to reduce electrical import requirements; solar efficient glazing; the use of LED lights; low energy CO2 refrigeration systems with doors fitted throughout the store; exhaust air-heat pump technology to reduce heating loads; and an energy management system to monitor and control the overall energy usage on the site.

Sarah Halliday, channel sales manager at Henderson Group which owns the Spar franchise in Northern Ireland, added: “The Braid River site is a fantastic example of how we can collaborate with our retail partners to create modern forecourts that are delivering exactly what our shoppers need, right on their doorsteps.

"This is a store which puts the shopper first with facilities which work towards both Maxol and Henderson Group’s sustainability goals. The futureproof forecourt is complemented by efficient coffee and food to go services in-store, which also provides a huge choice of fresh and locally sourced products and everyday essentials at a high level of quality and value that our shoppers have come to expect from their neighbourhood Spar store.”