The awards celebrated the exceptional achievements of the electric vehicle industry across the island of Ireland and showcased the hard work, leadership and innovation that is making a significant contribution to helping accelerate and support EV adoption across the island of Ireland.

Commenting on the win, Brian Donaldson, Chief Executive, The Maxol Group said: “Maxol’s vision is to lead retail and mobility innovation while keeping our customers at the heart of everything we do.

“We brought EV charging best practice to life at Maxol Kinnegar and developed a first-class range of amenities for EV customers to enjoy while charging their vehicle. This award is a testament to our significant investment in this project as well as the dedication of our team to deliver best-in-class solutions.”

EVOLVING ENERGY MARKET

Maxol introduced EV charging to its network in 2011, in partnership with the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) to support the transition to electric vehicles and keep up with the rapidly evolving energy market. Since then, Maxol’s continuous investment in their EV infrastructure has delivered several of the most advanced charging stations across the island of Ireland and included the development of their EV brand Maxol Recharge, using a stand-out teal colourway to leverage the brand’s equity.

In December 2022, Maxol EUROSPAR Kinnegar re-opened following a £2million investment programme that included the launch of the first dedicated Ultra Rapid EV hub on the island of Ireland.

Maxol’s EV investment programme continues at pace and by the end of this year the business will have more than 3MWs of charger capacity installed in their network. Maxol’s aim is to increase this capacity to over 15MWs by the end of 2026, with the goal of having 100MW of available charging capacity on their forecourts in the future.

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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 on everything from fresh coffee and groceries to food-to-go on their doorstep.

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. Customers can now shop for everyday grocery essentials including a greater choice of fresh, locally sourced fruit and vegetables, a wide range of dairy and chilled produce and a huge selection of frozen foods. Other new additions include a locally produced range of pre-packed butchery items and a wide selection of ready-made meals perfect for tonight’s tea.

From breakfast through to lunchtime, a brand-new Delish deli offers customers a delicious range of hot food to go – freshly prepared on-site to take-away. Also new, is an in-store bakery offering a range of pastries and sweet treats alongside the popular Barista Bar Coffee which has doubled to two units making it easier for customers to grab and go. For something colder there are two new refreshing Frozen Coca Cola and Frozen Fanta slushie machines.

Two self-checkouts have also been installed to give customers even more choice, efficiency and convenience. Non-food items available include a comprehensive range of Maxol own-brand engine oil, adblue and car care products.

ON THE FORECOURT

Car parking facilities have more than doubled to 32 spaces to provide greater customer convenience, particularly during busy trading periods. Premium Fuels have been introduced to enable customers to make greener motoring choices and Pay at Pump technology is now available at two islands, giving our fuel customers a quicker and more convenient way to pay.

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.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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 reenforces 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.”

Maxol Braid River also offers customers an ATM, customer toilets and air, water and vacuum services and operates 24/7, 7 days a week.

* The speed of charge depends on the vehicle and battery.

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In selecting the charity, CEO of the Maxol Group, Brian Donaldson explained that it wasn’t until he met and spoke to a guide dog owner that he fully appreciated the life-changing impact these highly trained and intuitive dogs can have, giving a person not only confidence but independence too.

Over the course of the two-year partnership, Maxol, which is Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, aims to support the charity by increasing the awareness and impact of Guide Dogs NI’s work.

The family-owned company has also committed to funding the training of at least six assistance dogs across the island of Ireland. In total, it costs approximately £50,000 to breed, train, and care for each of these special dogs over the course of their working lives.

Guide and assistance dogs play a vital role for those with visual impairment, transforming their day-to-day lives and enabling them to feel safe and take part more in their communities.

“With so many charities in need of urgent funding, selecting just one to which we will commit our resources is hugely challenging,” said Brian Donaldson.

“But when we looked not only at the work of Guide Dogs NI but the positive and tangible impact the charity can have on so many people’s lives – children, adults, and their families – we saw a really compelling case.

“This is an organisation with a strong and widespread community presence, much like our own business, and together with our local retailers we are looking forward to getting behind their work and ensuring Maxol makes a difference.”

Maxol will leverage its retailer network of more than 240 Maxol service stations across the island of Ireland and also hopes to garner the support of communities around the country to raise much-needed funds to help transform a person’s life.

Kyla McVicar, Business Development Manager, Guide Dogs NI said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Maxol for this very unique collaboration. Guide Dogs NI offer a range of services for adults and children affected by a vision impairment, and their families.

“It costs over £50,000 to support a guide dog from birth to retirement, from vet bills and training costs to food and transport. This commitment by Maxol will transform the lives of those living with a vision impairment in Northern Ireland and we are extremely excited by the opportunities in the two years ahead.”

Every penny donated to funding a guide dog or buddy dog has the capacity to give someone the kind of life they might only dream of otherwise.

This partnership will work across the island of Ireland and Maxol and its retailers are planning for a host of exciting fundraising and retail initiatives. The company has committed to supporting Guide Dogs NI and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind in Ireland with direct funding that will ensure more people will be matched with trained dogs over the coming months and years.

Maxol’s six-year partnership with mental health charity, Aware, which concluded this year raised more than £600,000. For more information visit www.maxol.ie and https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/guide-dogs-northern-ireland/

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Valued at €10 million, the contract includes 270 tonnes of coffee beans exclusively sourced for Maxol by Bewley’s, and the installation of new coffee machine equipment in 72 Maxol company-owned stores.

The multi-million euro deal between two of Ireland’s leading, family-owned companies followed a competitive tender involving four companies. The partnership will also see the introduction of two new variants across an initial 20 Maxol stores: iced coffee and oat milk coffee.

As part of the contract, 130 coffee machines will be replaced, units will be upgraded and new digital screens will be installed and, for the first time, selected Maxol stores will offer customers iced and oat milk coffees.

Bewley’s supported the roll out of Maxol’s proprietary ROSA coffee range in 2018 and last year, more than 3.5million cups of ROSA coffee were sold in the Republic of Ireland. A brew of freshly roasted Arabica beans, ROSA coffee is only sold in compostable or reusable cups across Maxol’s network of independent retailers in ROI.

‘REALLY STRONG PARTNERSHIP’

Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group said: “Maxol is becoming as well known for its coffee as it is for its traditional fuel and retail convenience offering. Therefore, choosing a partner that could not only provide a fantastic quality product but was also highly innovative was critical to our decision to work with Bewley’s again.

“The synergy between two Irish, family-owned companies working together in the retail convenience space was also important and, given the estimated 20 million cups of ROSA coffee we expect to sell over the next five years, we are confident we have secured a really strong partnership.

“We’re excited about the prospect of bringing two new coffee variants to our customers and we know from our customer insights that iced and oat coffees are in big demand. Our plan is to introduce these to around half of our network of company-owned stores within the next 12 months as part of our overall innovation and investment strategy.”

Jason Doyle, MD of Bewley’s added: “We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to extend our partnership with Maxol. We look forward to building on our great collaboration to deliver an innovative, sustainable and quality experience for consumers with our renowned Fair Trade coffee and Rainforest alliance certified tea together with our unrivalled coffee equipment and servicing expertise.  It is a great privilege for us to partner with a like minded, family-owned Irish business where superior quality is a non-negotiable element.”

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Created by Havas Dublin, with media by Zenith Media, the all-Ireland campaign will run across television, radio, outdoor, digital and in-store.

Brian Donaldson, Maxol CEO, said: “This campaign is an important strategic milestone for Maxol, which follows a significant investment in our retail network of over €200 million in the last 10 years and sets out our ambition to be a leading convenience retailer across Ireland.”

Directed by Jim Owen and produced by H2 Films, the TV and VOD (video on demand) commercial highlights Maxol’s great range, with a story of a young couple who drive to their local Maxol. In the film, the guy pops into the Maxol store to grab coffees, only to return to the car, much to his partner’s surprise, with ‘bags more’ than she expected, including cereals, bread, bin bags, wine, ice cream and fire logs.

‘BRILLIANT PARTNERSHIP’

Chris Upton, CEO Havas Dublin, said: “This campaign is the result of a brilliant partnership between everyone involved. From the evolution of the strategy to the fantastic creative, we look forward to seeing the Maxol retail brand grow from strength to strength.”

In addition to the two protagonists played by Brendan Quinn and Cate Russell, the Bags More TV ad stars dog actor Jeffy, cast for his particular skill of barking on command.

With the exception of the final frame, the ad was shot entirely in the car, a very intimate setting for two actors who had never met, and who had to embrace the role of husband and wife. “Casting was critical to the authenticity and humour of the ad and production company, H2 did a great job in filling these two central roles,” Jim Owen said.

Nikki Maguire, Head of Marketing at The Maxol Group said: “We worked closely with Havas to develop the new Bags More campaign and the team responded to our brief brilliantly. The new TV and radio ads are humorous and fun while also helping to reposition Maxol to be known as a convenience retailer, with Bags More to offer beyond fuel.

“We’re delighted to be back on TV after an absence of seven years with something that’s fresh and fun, and we’re confident that Bags More will resonate strongly with today’s busy, value-driven consumers.”

Maxol Rathnew is a particularly busy site and required some clever thinking from the production team at H2 films to ensure that it was business-as-usual throughout the shoot, while ensuring background continuity across the day.

Bags More will run across television from 28^th August and feature on radio, out of home (OOH), digital, PR and instore. To view the advert click HERE.

With more than 240 company and dealer-owned stores across Ireland, the family-owned Maxol business has been at the heart of Irish communities for more than 102 years.

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