Maxol, Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer was recently counted among the nation’s forecourts finest by securing a double win at the Forecourt Trader Awards 2024.
The annual industry awards salute the very best forecourt and convenience retailers from across the UK who adapt at pace to meet the changing demands of their customers, set new standards, and demonstrate entrepreneurship while supporting local suppliers and the local communities in which they operate.
The awards took place in front of 720 guests at London’s Westminster Park Plaza Hotel and were hosted by presenter Ben Shepherd.
Maxol Edenderry on the Crumlin Road in Belfast was awarded Best Forecourt Retailer in Northern Ireland over 4 million litres per annum. The judges remarked on its impressive forecourt offering which includes two EV charging bays and pay-at-pump technology and found the SPAR shop difficult to fault, with its strong food-to-go offering based around the Delish brand and friendly staff.
Maxol also won Best Sustainable Strategy for Maxol Braid River Service Station in central Ballymena which opened in December last year following an investment of £2.35 million and which delivered the second Ultra Rapid EV Charging Hub under the Maxol Recharge brand in Northern Ireland. With investment in sustainability now a guiding principle for The Maxol Group other green initiatives include glass door refrigeration, solar panels, heat pump technology, solar-efficient glazing, and a water reuse system.
Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, said: “I want to say a huge congratulations to John & Sharon Bailey and their team at Maxol Edenderry and to Nicola Farrell of Aramark and her wider team at Maxol Braid River as well as our retail partners at Henderson Group and to thank them all for their outstanding commitment and hard work which has earned this recognition.
“I’m enormously proud to see Maxol acknowledged by our industry as being amongst the very best of what this sector has to offer. Our investment in Maxol Edenderry and Maxol Braid River demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, to offering value, range, quality and local produce to our growing base of customers and our determination to provide industry leading facilities in the communities we serve.
“As a family-owned business, which has been operating for more than a century, we’re extremely honoured to have received these awards and excited to continue our transition from being a traditional forecourt retailer to creating award-winning service and convenience stores of the future.”