Operated under licence by Maxol’s retail partner, the Henderson Group, the existing shop has been modernised and increased in size to 1506 sq ft.

For the first time, a new Post Office facility has been introduced, replacing the Post Office previously located on Bangor High Street.

The forecourt has been reconfigured to create additional customer car parking, which has doubled to 12 spaces. Two pump islands provide customers with a full range of advanced fuels while air, water, and vacuum services complete the newly upgraded facilities.

Maxol has implemented its sustainable forecourt design to reduce the service station’s carbon footprint and energy consumption by 40%. This includes the installation of LED lights throughout the site; the use of low energy CO2 refrigeration system with glazed doors and an energy efficient air conditioning heating/cooling system.

Meanwhile, the shop features the latest SPAR design, where customers can enjoy ‘Bags More’ quality, choice, value, and convenience right on their doorstep, including a larger selection of fresh local produce, dairy and frozen foods and a BARISTA BAR, which offers delicious coffee and hot drinks on the go at any time of the day.

The development is part of The Maxol Group’s 2023-2027 £145 million investment strategy for growth across its network of service stations which Brian Donaldson, CEO, The Maxol Group announced back in 2023.

“We are delighted to see the work to expand and modernise Maxol Ballyholme now complete,” said Brian Donaldson.

“It is the latest redevelopment in our local network where we have delivered a new and sustainably designed store and created modern spacious facilities for our customers to enjoy convenience shopping for everyday grocery essentials right on their doorstep. Whether you’re popping in for a coffee on the go, a quick top up shop or something for tonight’s tea, there’s now more choice of goods and services for our customers to enjoy than ever before.

“I wish Helen and the team every success with Maxol Ballyholme.”

Billy Moore, Group Finance Director at Henderson Group which owns the SPAR franchise in Northern Ireland added: “Maxol SPAR Ballyholme has always been a busy forecourt, serving the surrounding residential and retail neighbourhood, now even more so thanks to the completion of this renovation.

“Maxol’s partnership with Henderson Retail allows us to deliver a contemporary convenience store experience packed with everyday essentials, including a host of fresh and locally sourced products for now or later, with value and community at heart.”

The post Maxol invests £1.5 million in Ballyholme Service Station, Bangor first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

With a prime location on the fringes of Armagh City, Mullan’s Foodstore’s Monaghan Road has excelled in establishing itself as the trusted store for its loyal customer base, priding themselves on their fresh food offering as well as convenience.

In May this year to mark their 20^th anniversary, they took the opportunity to give back to their customers with a special fun day at the store, repaying the community with giveaways and freebies both big and small.

The family-run business has become a well-known and reliable name within supermarket convenience in the Armagh area, with further stores in Markethill and Killylea Road cementing their status within the retail industry.

As we all know, the pressures and stresses of the industry do not lend themselves to stopping and taking stock of achievements made, but as Stephen explained, the fun day was a chance see things from the customers’ perspective.

“It was lovely to actually stop and celebrate and see what we have achieved. The last few months in particular have been so busy, so it was good to stop and think about how long we have been in business and really think about how much time has passed,” said Stephen.

“It even lifted all the staff morale too and it was a great boost for them.”

Having started from scratch in May 2005, Stephen and Donna were a young married couple with a young child when they ventured into retail. With backgrounds in social care and a mechanic, neither had any previous experience in retail, but were ambitious and eager to give it a go.

“We had the site and because of the location and where it is, is a very busy junction, we thought it would be a great site for a shop and filling station,” said Stephen.

“The early days were tough, you are grappling with a lot of debt and in a new business that you did not know anything about. We got on with it and you learn very quickly when you have to.

“We were young and ambitious and kept at it. We were building a business from zero, there was no customer base and plenty of competition, it was a big steep learning curve.”

Over the years, Stephen and Donna have made significant investments into the store, totalling over £3.5 million. These investments have allowed for three major refurbishments to bring top quality services and products to shoppers. The refurbishments also included the introduction of solar panels and high efficiency refrigeration.

When it opened in 2005, the brand-new store was approximately 2400 sq ft, employing 15 people and following recent expansion and development, it now stands at 4200 sq ft and employs 36 people from the local area.

“The building itself was large but we developed the whole upper floor of the building with a new suite of offices, training room, canteens and built a whole new production kitchen,” said Stephen.

“All back-of-house is now upstairs and that allowed us to maximise the entire downstairs for retail.”

Significantly, they opened an off licence in the store, which has been received very positively by customers.

“We always wanted one in the store and the customers were looking for one. In a store of this size, they are all expecting it. There are so many hoops you have to jump through, but we got it and the customers are extremely happy and it’s doing very well.”

A critical part of the expansion was to enable the growth of their fresh food offering. A key part of the store and what it is widely known for, Stephen and Donna sought to grow this area of the business further.

“We used the expansion to massively increase our fresh offering – our deli cabinet is much bigger, as well as our fruit and veg and meat – the extra space was all given to fresh, while about 10-15% of our grocery lines grew.

“This is a high fresh store – it would really be about 60% of the business, so it’s very very important to us,” added Stephen.

With their own brand – Mullans Foodstore’s – in the deli, they aim to run their new kitchen as an almost separate unit in order to supply their own shops. With an extensive range of prepped items, ready meals and deli counter products, Stephen and Donna are delighted with how it is going.

READ THE FULL FEATURE ON MULLAN’S MONAGHAN ROAD ARMAGH IN THE JULY-AUGUST ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

The post Mullans mark Monaghan Road milestone first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland said the product, SPAR Chèvre Goats Cheese is supplied by Horgan’s Delicatessen Supplies, who was recalling it.

Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores selling the product, explaining to customers why the product is being recalled and telling them what to do if they have bought the product.

The warning relates to the 100g packs with a use-by date of 12^th August 2025, according to the FSA NI.

Symptoms caused by Listeria monocytogenes can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications such as meningitis.

The FSA NI has warned customers that if they have bought this product, do not eat it, instead return the product to the store they bought it from for a full refund.

The post Goats cheese sold in Spar stores in NI recalled due to listeria fears first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

‘Bags More’ in newly-refurbished store

Customers can now enjoy ‘Bags More’ quality, choice, value, and convenience in the newly-modernised and expanded store. It features the latest SPAR design and offers an improved selection of chilled, frozen, and fresh local produce, making it perfect for a quick top-up shop.

For customers who want to grab & go, the store now features a new Delish on the Go, with a range of freshly cooked food and a large range of freshly prepared sandwiches and wraps throughout the day as well as a Barista Bar, Northern Ireland’s largest coffee brand, for delicious coffee and hot drinks on the go.

Spacious new forecourt

Old buildings to the rear of the site have been demolished to create a spacious new area. Customer car parking has expanded from seven to 22 parking spaces including two accessible parking bays for ease and convenience, even at peak times. Two pump islands service customers with a full range of advanced fuels with pay at pump facilities under a brand-new canopy and there is a newly equipped car wash.

Air, water and vacuum services complete the newly upgraded forecourt facilities.

Sustainable development  

Maxol has implemented its sustainable forecourt design to reduce the service station’s carbon footprint. Measures taken include the installation of LED lights throughout; a new low energy CO2 refrigeration system with glazed doors has been installed and an energy efficient air conditioning heating/cooling system reduces energy usage.

Growth strategy

The development is part of The Maxol Group’s 2023-2027 £145 million investment strategy for growth across the family-owned businesses network of service stations which Brian Donaldson, CEO, The Maxol Group announced last year.

“I am delighted to see the work at Maxol Hilden completed. This investment is a fantastic example of Maxol delivering quality and convenience for our customers in their local community where they can now shop for everyday grocery essentials, pop-in for a quick bite to eat or grab a delicious coffee on the go and it’s all delivered within our brand new sustainably designed store,” said Brian Donaldson.

“With generous new car parking facilities and a spacious new forecourt delivering Maxol branded fuel, this is a fantastic new facility for this residential area. The site is independently operated by our licensee, Aramark and I want to wish Mark Cribbin, Nicola and all of the team every success with the new opening.”

Sarah Halliday, Channel Sales Manager at Henderson Group which owns the SPAR franchise in Northern Ireland added: “It is fantastic to see Maxol SPAR Hilden complete its refurbishment to provide the latest of our SPAR store designs, alongside an expanded range of locally sourced fresh and quality products that can be picked up for tonight’s tea.

“Stores like Hilden provide essential services to their local communities, while also developing their to-go services, which are in demand from those on the road throughout the day. Introducing SPAR’s Delish to Go counter will provide the business with even more opportunity to serve their customers, and we wish them all the best with the all-new store that will be a huge success.”

Mark Cribbin, Account Director, Aramark Ireland said: “Our newly-refurbished store is fresh, bright and modern and it’s finished to the highest standard. Our offer has been specially tailored to the needs of this local community to ensure they can get bags more choice, value, and convenience on their doorstep. And now that we’re officially open, our friendly team are looking forward to providing top-tier service along with the warmest welcome to everyone.”

Maxol Hilden also offers customers an ATM and operates from 7am to 10pm seven days a week.

The post Maxol Hilden Service Station reopens following £1.6m development first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The six-month project has seen the large site reconfigured to create a forecourt and new convenience store to serve the local neighbourhood and commuters who use this main arterial route into Belfast City Centre.

A total of nine new jobs have been created for the local community following the re-development.

The development is part of a wider multi-million-pound five-year capital investment programme that Maxol is delivering across its growing network to meet the increasing demand for convenience-led forecourt services that include coffee, groceries and food-to-go.

Latest SPAR concept

Maxol Fortwilliam is operated under license by Mark Nelson. The new store has nearly doubled in size to 195 square meters and offers the latest SPAR concept. The number of grocery and chilled bays has increased significantly, allowing customers to shop for everyday grocery essentials including a much larger selection of fresh local produce, a wider range of dairy items, and a doubling of frozen food provision. A selection of ready-made meals completes the convenience-led offer.

Maxol has also introduced the latest food-to-go concepts. From breakfast through to lunchtime, a brand-new Delish Deli and self-serve Chicken Bar offers customers a delicious range of freshly prepared hot food to take away. Other new additions include an in-store bakery, offering a range of pastries and sweet treats alongside the popular Barista Bar coffee which has doubled to two units, to meet the increasing demand for a quick, quality coffee-on-the-go.

A new customer restroom has also been included within the store development.

New forecourt  

The newly-expanded and reconfigured forecourt has two pump islands with pay-at-pump facilities for customers to fuel up and car parking has more than doubled to 24 spaces including two accessible parking bays for customer convenience.

Sustainable development

Technology has been used throughout the development to implement Maxol’s sustainable forecourt design and to reduce the service station’s carbon footprint. Measures taken include the use of photovoltaic (solar) panels to cut electrical import requirements; the installation of LED lights throughout and adopting low energy CO2 refrigeration systems with doors fitted throughout the store. New signage highlights the sustainable features to customers.

Modern roadside retail

Brian Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer of The Maxol Group said: “It’s exciting to see the latest example of modern roadside retail from Maxol. We’re delighted this latest investment creates nine new jobs and is another convenience-led service station that delivers for both the local community and commuters.

“Within our new and sustainably developed forecourt, we’ve created a food and convenience offer that ensures customers can grab-and-go breakfast or lunch from the Delish Deli, enjoy a barista-style coffee to take-away or they can do a top-up food shop for any meal occasion in our newly expanded SPAR store, which is packed with grocery essentials as well as drinks, snacks and treats.

“With our focus on ease and convenience for our customers, we’ve nearly trebled the car parking spaces available so there’s capacity even at the busiest times of the day. Quality advanced fuels complete the offer and we’re looking forward to welcoming our customers through our doors to enjoy bags more at Maxol Fortwilliam. I wish Mark and his dedicated staff every success.”

Sarah Halliday, Channel Sales Manager at Henderson Group which owns the SPAR franchise in Northern Ireland added: “Maxol SPAR Fortwilliam is a fantastic example of an independent retailer working with locally owned brands to bring the best products and services to their community.

“We have worked with Mark and the team at Maxol to produce a first-class, modern forecourt that delivers for both the business and shoppers. This is evident in the range of fresh and locally sourced products supplied by Henderson Wholesale, alongside the introduction of our Delish deli and expansion of Barista Bar coffee-to-go options for those on the move.

“Our latest in-store technology has been installed to enable efficient running of the business both from the back rooms to the shop floor, delivering a futureproof store for both Mark, his team and the local community. We wish Mark all the best with the new store.”

Maxol Fortwilliam also offers customers an ATM, air, water and vacuum services and operates from 6am to midnight seven days a week.

The post Maxol Fortwilliam opens following £1.9 million investment first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.