The Maxol Group has announced its full year trading figures for 2025, with Group CEO Brian Donaldson confirming a strong trading performance, despite a year characterised by inflationary pressures. The family-owned business, with its roots in County Down, finished the year in a solid financial position, with no net bank debt and a substantial cash surplus.
- 2025 Group turnover was £663 million, an increase of 1.1% on 2024 (£656 million)
- 2025 Group profit before tax, before exceptionals, was £33.9 million, compared with £27.8 million in 2024
Brian Donaldson confirmed that growth and innovation remain central to the Group’s investment strategy. In Northern Ireland, Maxol is bringing an even sharper focus to its food range and convenience offer and continuing to invest to further strengthen its position as the region’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer.
“Maxol’s transformation over the past decade has fundamentally changed the role of the traditional local service station, with food, coffee, convenience retail and car washing now not only central to the company’s growth strategy, but also our approach to customer service,” said Donaldson. “The Maxol service station of today is almost unrecognisable from that of just ten years ago.”
Investment in food and convenience retail continues to be a cornerstone of Maxol’s strategy. “For our customers, shopping is about choice, quality and convenience and we have built our food strategy around these three pillars,” said Donaldson. “It’s a hugely competitive market and we work hard to identify and provide what our customers want, giving them even more reasons to choose Maxol.”
This is reflected in several developments across the business this year, from opening the Group’s first store with Greggs bakery chain to the introduction of Maxol Market Deli. Already available in Maxol stores in the Republic of Ireland, Market Deli is being trialled in Northern Ireland for the first time at Maxol Eglinton. Its elevated look and feel are designed to bring consistency across the Maxol estate, while the menu reflects local tastes, with traditional hot meals such as lasagne, chicken curry and stews alongside custom-made sandwiches, wraps, salads and hot breakfast options.
“I cannot overstate how important food is to our business,” said Donaldson. “It sets us apart from competitors and plays a key role in how we build customer loyalty, shaping how we develop and deliver our own food concepts and the way in which we work with trusted partners and support local producers. Technology is also key to enhancing the customer experience, helping to make every visit as seamless as possible.”
Delivering a stronger food offer goes hand in hand with investment in the stores themselves, with several redevelopments across Northern Ireland completed or underway in 2026. These include investments at Bryansburn in Bangor, Eglinton, Scarva Road in Banbridge and at Beechlawn, Dunmurry.
Maxol is also preparing to accelerate investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure as EV adoption in Northern Ireland gathers momentum. Having opened the island of Ireland’s first dedicated ultra-rapid EV charging hub at Maxol Kinnegar in Holywood in December 2022, the company has since taken a measured approach to the development of its charging network, balancing the need to support the transition to lower-emission transport with the commercial realities of EV demand, grid capacity and the pace of technological change.
Against a backdrop of continued economic and regulatory pressures, Donaldson outlined both the opportunities and challenges facing the sector in 2027.
“I would categorise myself as a cautious optimist,” said Donaldson. “Geopolitical uncertainty, volatility and the cost of doing business continue to present challenges with implications for prices, supply chains and both business and consumer confidence. The growing complexity of the regulatory environment adds further, often unnecessary pressure on businesses.”
According to Donaldson, the planning process, both north and south of the border, is one such pressure having an impact on the business by stalling development, delaying investment and impeding progress and growth.
“Delays have consequences beyond our own operations, slowing the creation of jobs and opportunities, and limiting the positive knock-on effects that appropriately sized developments can bring to local communities and economies, as well as other businesses,” he said.
“We have the ambition and drive to grow our business, but we need a more streamlined and less cumbersome planning process to help us unlock both the investment and jobs we’re ready to deliver over the next two years. We understand and respect due process, but planning has become more challenging for our business.”
Maxol has several large-scale projects in Northern Ireland awaiting planning approval, with £14 million earmarked for investment in 2027 and 2028, creating up to 100 jobs.