AWARE’s position as the only charity working exclusively for people with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder means the proceeds will go directly to preventative, community-based and supportive work across the country.

Over the months of November and December, the campaign ensured that for every cup of coffee or tea purchased at participating Maxol service stations, 10p was donated to AWARE.

Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, said: “I’m truly grateful for the generosity of our customers, and the hard work of our staff, which has resulted in a truly impressive sum to benefit AWARE. This donation will ensure that they can carry on the essential work they’ve been providing, for people all across Northern Ireland.”

Clare Galbraith, Head of Fundraising at AWARE, said: “A huge thank you to everyone at Maxol for continuing this brilliant campaign, where our work to improve the lives of people with depression is as vital now as ever before. After a difficult two years, we are looking forward to transforming this donation into life-changing support, for those who need it most.”

To find out more about Maxol and its partnership with AWARE, visit www.maxol.ie.

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Between now and the end of December, for every Barista Bar coffee or tea bought at participating service stations, Maxol will donate 10p to AWARE, the local charity which supports people living with depression.

The initiative aims to raise £20,000 for Northern Ireland’s Depression Charity and encourage good conversations about mental health.

In a campaign first, this year Maxol, will be sharing some simple suggestions across their social channels on how to start a conversation about mental health with friends, family, or colleagues. A series of informative clips will be published over the next few weeks and will feature AWARE staff giving advice on questions to ask someone about how their feeling and ways to reach out to them.

Brian Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer, The Maxol Group said: “This year AWARE has marked 25 years of supporting people living with depression.

“Supporting good mental health is hugely important but, we also recognise it can be difficult to start a conversation about mental health, especially when it is someone close to you. With help from AWARE we have created simple suggestions on how to get the conversation started. You can see the content on our social channels and in store too.

“So, if you are out and about in the coming weeks pop into a participating Maxol service station, buy a hot drink and you’ll be helping to make a positive difference to many people’s lives.”

Support

Clare Galbraith, Head of Fundraising for AWARE said: “Since 1996, AWARE has been offering support and education to thousands of people living with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder in Northern Ireland.

“In AWARE’s 25th year, the Maxol Christmas Coffee Cup Campaign is more important than ever. With the ongoing impact of the pandemic, we have experienced a 40% increase in demand for our support services both in person and via Zoom between 2019 and 2021.

“During this same period, the number of people the charity has reached via social media has risen by 185%, whilst traffic to its website has increased by almost a quarter. The charity is currently expanding services to meet this increase in demand and will benefit hugely from the funds raised.”

Paulo Ross, Cool FM Breakfast Show presenter and AWARE Ambassador, said: “I am delighted to be part of this year’s campaign. As an AWARE Ambassador I know the work they do, the support they provide and the compassion they show to service users and their families. I’m also delighted to see those conversation starters at the heart of this year’s activity which I’m sure will help many people finding it difficult to take the first step in talking about mental health.”

Advocate

Annette Kelly, Little Penny Thoughts, a passionate mental health advocate uses her own experiences to guide others in their path to a positive and happy life, said: “I am delighted to support the annual Maxol Christmas coffee cup campaign. It’s a campaign that resonates deeply with us given our own focus on nurturing mental wellbeing, especially in the run up to the festive season. The funds raised will benefit so many in the coming year so I would encourage people to buy a coffee and help make a difference.”

The money raised by the campaign will go towards AWARE providing support, education, and information for people impacted by depression, bipolar disorder and mood related conditions which have been severely impacted by Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

AWARE has been operating for 25 years and has a network of 24 support groups across the country, as well as delivering mental health and wellbeing programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces.

To find out more about Maxol and their partnership with AWARE, visit www.maxol.com

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The latest figures for the fuel giant showed a profit before exceptional items of €17.1M for 2020, a not-unexpected fall of 7.5% on 2019 given the Covid-19 impact on trading conditions that included 5km travel limits and rolling lockdowns, he revealed in an update this morning.

Despite the challenging conditions that prevailed between January and May 2021, including Brexit and lockdowns, the outlook for the full year 2021 is positive and is set to outperform 2020, Brian Donaldson said.

“There are a number of factors that have contributed to the strong company performance since May, but we have pinpointed one that has probably had the most positive impact on our business. The significant rise in staycations provided not only the tourism sector with a bounce, but the forecourt and convenience sector has also been a beneficiary,” he said.

“Not only were consumers visiting our forecourts for fuel, but the Maxol network proved a convenient pit stop for snacks, confectionery and deli items and we anticipate that this trend will continue for the coming months.”

Maxol also announced a €20M investment in the business for 2022 across multiple sites including Sandyford, Castletroy, Kilkenny, Clarecastle and Donore Road in the Republic of Ireland.

2021 investment programme

While the impact of Covid-19 saw a number of development and refurbishment programmes delayed, Maxol continued to invest in the business.

A €7M investment programme in 2021 included the refurbishment of two key sites in Ballycoolin  in Dublin and Riverside in Navan in Meath.

The multi-million Euro investment programme, which extended to a number of sites across the country, also saw the introduction of drive-thru Burger Kings, new indoor seating areas, extended outdoor seating areas, additional car parking spaces, car wash upgrades, the creation of more retail space, larger Maxol deli counters and the introduction of  Premium fuel pumps to additional sites as part of Maxol’s carbon neutral programme, which sees 100% carbon emissions off-set on Premium fuel purchases.  Since 2012, Maxol has invested over €230M in its network.

“Our investment programme was an important undertaking not only in terms of alignment to our growth strategy, but because we have a strong sense of purpose that includes recognising the role we can play in helping to rebuild local economies,” Mr Donaldson said.

“Maxol isn’t just a national brand, it’s a local brand. Our sites are run by local people, employing local people, serving local people.  This model has served us well for more than 100 years and its vigour was tested, and resilience proven during the past 20 months.”

Robust model

While people moved in their droves to shop online during the height of the pandemic, an increase in ecommerce doesn’t mean that high street or convenience stores will become obsolete, he said.

“There are many advantages to online shopping and indeed, a move to online kept many Irish businesses afloat when their doors were shut.  But consumers have not abandoned what they see as a more experiential, personal way to shop that isn’t purely transactional,” he said.

People are sociable beings by nature and our network model, and the importance we place on our food service, stood up to the test of significant behavioural change during Covid-19.”

Over the past five years, Maxol has been transitioning from its position as a fuel brand selling food and grocery to a convenience food service brand that also sells fuel, along with other energies for mobility.

“If anything, the Covid-19 crisis proved the robustness of our evolving business model,” Mr Donaldson said.

“While fuel sales dropped by up to 70% during the first week of lockdown, sales of food and grocery remained strong.  Many people didn’t want to shop in large, busier stores so their local Maxol became the go-to for their everyday essentials.”

The Maxol Group is investing in more eat-in areas in forecourts where there is space to expand and the aim is to become a destination for friends and families looking to catch up over a cup of coffee, a hot meal or a freshly prepared lunch from the deli.

“We are growing our food offering all of the time and are gearing up for the launch of our third drive-thru Burger King at Ballycoolin in Dublin, together with our first Apache Pizza outlet in Donabate, Co. Dublin,” Mr Donaldson said.

Maxol is partnering with another Irish family business, OKR Group, on these well-known food franchise brands, responding to the growing demand for hot, freshly prepared food at mealtimes. This will be Maxol’s first foray into home delivery with Apache Pizza, which will offer customers greater choice and convenience from local, family providers.

Local and loyal

Maxol revealed that 65% of the company’s bakery and deli goods are sourced from local producers including scones from O’Keeffe’s Bakery in Cork; apple turnovers from the family-owned Golden Bake company in Dublin; muffins from Milish Foods in Dublin and traybakes from Coolhill Farm in Wexford.  Using Irish milk and cream, family-owned Silver Pail in Cork supply Maxol with its new ice-cream brand, N’ice Cream.

Freshly brewed coffee is a key driver of customer loyalty and Maxol’s exclusive ROSA coffee brand is expected to hit €9M in sales this year, the most popular variant being a 12oz Americano.

Minerals, the biggest selling category product in Maxol service stations account for 22% of total shop sales, followed by confectionery (22%) and dairy (13.5%).

Car wash

More than 600,000 vehicles will pass through a Maxol car wash this year, with 36% of all car washes taking place at the weekend.

While volumes were hit during the January – March lockdown period, Brian Donaldson says that the car wash facility is a critical part of the Maxol offering that will endure long after the demise of internal combustion engine vehicles.

“A staple of the forecourt model, which is an often overlooked and undervalued jewel in the crown, is the car wash facility.  As we transition to alternative fuelled vehicles, we can’t forget that they too will need to be washed. And, by making our car wash more environmentally friendly, using recycled rainwater wherever possible, we are future proofing a key, sustainable service offering that is really important to our business,” he said.

Maxol invested €600K in rebranding and upgrading Maxol car wash facilities in 2021.

Carbon footprint 

Maxol says it is also looking to reduce its environmental footprint and support customers in making more sustainable choices.

It was one of the first retailers to offer 100% compostable cups and lids, discounts are provided to customers who use a reusable cup when purchasing hot drinks, and the company has been installing compostable and recyclable bins across its service stations to support customers’ recycling efforts.

The company recently marked the first full year of its carbon offsetting programme that aims to offset 100% of carbon emissions with its Premium fuel range, which has fewer pollutants and is now available at 40 Maxol sites.

Tree planting

The programme also supports a number of green initiatives such as the planting of 10,000 trees in Ireland, local community projects and global projects designed to off set carbon emissions.

“The Maxol Group is very transparent and also very serious about its commitment to the environment and investing in ways to reduce our carbon footprint,” Mr Donaldson said.

“We do not pretend to be something that we are not.  We sell diesel and we sell petrol and will continue to do so as long as these fuels are needed.   There’s no silver bullet that will suddenly transform the automotive market overnight, but we are looking at all of the ways that our business can change and make better, greener choices.

“Every investment and every decision begins with an examination of the impact it will have on the environment; we take a ‘sustainable first’ approach to every operational decision.

“We are working with KPMG on a programme that will allow us to better benchmark and measure our carbon savings year-on-year and that is an important step in our sustainable journey.”

Twelve new dealer sites were added to the Maxol network during 2021, bringing the total number of Maxol service stations around Ireland to 242.  More than 80 people are employed directly and more than 1,000 indirectly by The Maxol Group across the island of Ireland.

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A new SPAR Daily Deli has been introduced and provides a wide range of tasty hot and cold food served throughout the day, including vegan and vegetarian options, to meet increasing customer demand. The internal seating area has been refurbished, ensuring customers have a comfortable, modern dedicated place where they can enjoy a delicious coffee from the Barista Bar or a bite to eat.

With the installation of a new porch, renovated entrance area and an additional till to allow for a more efficient shopping experience, Maxol continues to serve its local community to the highest standard.

On the forecourt, and in line with Maxol’s journey towards becoming a more environmentally sustainable business, the company has installed new pumps with an integrated injection solution offering its new premium fuel grades. Maxol Premium Fuel has fewer pollutants for better power, acceleration and overall performance of your car and is central to Maxol’s carbon offset programme which launched in November last year.  Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, said: “The investment at Maxol Eglinton represents our ongoing ambitions to continually improve our services, choice and facilities offered to our customers. We’re extremely happy with the renovations and are confident that these new features will provide an even more enjoyable, and convenient shopping experience for all customers in the area.

“Just last year we celebrated 100 years of Maxol in Northern Ireland and we are delighted to continue investing in our local service stations. It is our aim to have a network of convenience destinations that will continue to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers across NI. We wish Alan and Val and their team, who have been at Maxol Eglinton since it opened in February 2015, every continuing success.”

Alan and Val Rodden, Licensees of Maxol Eglinton, said: “This investment will enable us to provide our valued customers with a great instore experience and we’re confident the improvements will be welcomed by the local community and we look forward to delighting everyone in store.”

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Having previously found success launching in the Republic of Ireland earlier in the year (July 2020) the company now wants to add to its growing all island customer base.

The venture was founded by energy entrepreneurs Ciaran and Stephen Devine and is a partnership between the brothers and Maxol, Ireland’s largest family-owned forecourt retailer.

The team at bright are on a mission to bring renewable power to the people, with a 100% green electricity tariff that’s fair for all. With energy at the heart of everything they do, they are united in their journey towards green electricity for all!

Ciaran Devine, chief executive of Bright, said: “Households in Northern Ireland can now switch away from expensive, overly complicated bills to a simpler, less costly and more sustainable solution with bright.

“Our entire approach is based on what’s best for our members and for the planet. We offer green, affordable electricity that’s fair for all. We don’t see why it should be any more complicated than that.

“Bright’s electricity is sourced from renewables and we have one simple standard variable rate tariff with no tie ins or exits fees, meaning all our customers receive our best price.

“It’s a critical time as we face the challenges of climate change, but people shouldn’t have to pay more to do good; and with bright they don’t have to.

Brian Donaldson, chief executive of The Maxol Group said going green has always been high on its agenda. He said: “Renewable and sustainable choices have been central to Maxol’s operations for many years and when it comes to environmental initiatives, 2020 has been our most prolific.

“We want to make the greener choice easier for customers and the launch of bright is one of a number of programmes that demonstrates our commitment to the environment.

“Maxol is a family-owned business. Partnering with another family business of similar values has culminated in bright, an exciting new entity with a real focus on sustainability and the future proofing of our planet for current and next generations.”

The post New Green Energy Supplier Launches In NI first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.