APPLEGREEN LUSK NORTH

“I really appreciate that the company put me forward for consideration and winning the award on the night was a welcome bonus” besides.

“We are a one-stop shop providing anything the traveller could want in a comfortable, convenient and friendly environment. While a lot of our customers are transient, we do have local business, too, from the Balbriggan and Swords areas. Ultimately, it’s all about providing a service,” says the 2022 Forecourt Manager of the Year.

“As a company, Applegreen cares about choice and service. We have 250 parking spaces and the outdoor dining area was very popular this summer, when thankfully we were blessed with good weather. We put the pods out and our customers really enjoyed that experience.

“People can stay for as long or as briefly as they want.

They can get their fuel and pop into the shop and be gone in ten minutes or a family can stop off for 90 minutes and get their food and take as long as they like. We cater for everybody.”

In an increasingly competitive market, the role of the store manager is key to a store’s success. The National Grocery Management Awards recognise individual management excellence in the sector. Crucially, these awards are not just based on sales figures but how well retailers adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the retail industry.

With 350 guests in attendance. 23 awards – independentlyjudged - were presented at the 2022 awards night in July, honouring the best in the many departments that make up local convenience stores and supermarkets. It’s poignant that Michael Feeney was honoured this year as he manages what is in fact Ireland’s first motorway service station.

“There were six service stations opened around the same time in 2010 – two in Lusk, two in Castlebellingham and two on the Enfield- Galway route – but we were the first of those to actually open for business,” he reflects proudly.

The price of fuel has been in the news throughout 2022 and Michael says Applegreen do everything in their power to provide their customers with the best value and the best service. “We don’t have any control over the price, which is dictated by external factors, but the group is always monitoring the situation and we are a match for any other forecourt in the area. It’s certainly a big cost these days but we try to make up for that by offering a variety of other products and services at affordable prices.”

Applegreen Lusk North has been a resounding success story since its inception and the future prospects for this award-winning service station are particularly encouraging. “Hopefully, as a nation, we won’t ever go back to days like we had during Covid,” says Michael. “For the future, my priorities would be people retention and to grow the business further.

Best

“The food area employs a lot of skilled and trained personnel, including managers and supervisors, and we want to offer these individuals a good career path and make sure there are opportunities here for them. I’m focussed on retention of our skilled staff and providing a career for them. That’s something I am fully committed to. I want to keep this workforce here and continue to keep our standards high across every aspect of the business.

“Age-wise, we employ everybody from 16-year-olds up to older staff members and they are all important to us. They provide our customers with great service around the clock. We give them management courses and we have everything in place here to make sure they can enjoy a career in retail going forward.”