Applegreen M1 Southbound in Northern Ireland was hailed as Forecourt Trader of the Year at last night’s prestigious annual awards at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Myleene Klass, singer, pianist and model was the glamorous host for the event which was attended by a record crowd of over 850.

The award was presented to Applegreen chief operating officer Joe Barrett and UK managing director John Diviney by Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton, who described the site as a stunning operation located on a very busy tourist route from Belfast City.  

“This is a site with the wow factor, and the highest-scoring operation across all the regional entries in this year’s awards, with its striking design, full of innovation and flair. M1 Lisburn was designed to be bigger and better than anything that Applegreen had done before. It has a total floor area of 1,560sq m, 300 customer seats, and a third of the building dedicated to customer circulation.

“More importantly it is run to the highest standards, offering a range of food and beverage options; seating and informal rest areas and meeting spaces offering free wi-fi and charging points. Applegreen describe the site as a game changer in forecourt convenience. It is certainly a standout winner at this year’s awards!”

Diviney said: “It’s a fantastic service station and there’s been a huge team behind it, putting it together from design to development to operation. I’m absolutely thrilled for all of them and they really deserve this award.”

Barrett paid tribute to the contribution of partner brands, and added: “The most important thing for us is that our customers love it. Every time I go to one of our service stations children are playing in the play areas, people are enjoying the experience, and the low prices for food and fuel.

Diviney added: “It’s a sign of what’s to come for Applegreen in the UK. This is a start. The UK consumer will be able to get used to facilities like this on the roadside.”

The site also won Best Food To Go in the specialist categories – as well as great fuel and shop offerings, M1 Lisburn is home to six food offers: Greggs, Lavazza, Burger King, Subway, Chopstix and Applegreen’s own brand, The Bakewell.

List of winners:

SPECIALIST PRODUCT CATEGORIES

BEST CAR CARE AND LUBRICANTS

Nick Baker

Jet Abbeyside Service Station

BEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Adele Brown

Eurospar Glenwell

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Nick & Jonathan Fraser

Budgens Three Mile Cross

BEST DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Joe Richardson

Glews Services

BEST FOOD TO GO

John Diviney

Applegreen M1 Southbound

BEST FORECOURT INNOVATION

Nick Baker

Jet Abbeyside Service Station

BEST FORECOURT LOO

Vicky Hennessy & David Penny

Sadberge Filling Station

BEST FORECOURT TEAM

Matt Westlake

Bodmin Moor Services

BEST HOT BEVERAGES OUTLET

Ranjan Sinnathamby

MFG Glasgow Airport

BEST SITE MANAGER

Joanne Walker           

Eurospar Carrowdore

BEST SOFT DRINKS OUTLET

Idris Patel

Woodman Service Station

BEST VALETING FACILITIES

Mohran Yogaraj

MFG Skyway Filling Station

REGIONAL AWARDS

NORTHERN IRELAND

UP TO 4MLPA

Paul Patterson

EUROSPAR Maghaberry

4MLPA-PLUS

Jonathan McCullagh
Classic Service Station

SCOTLAND

UP TO 4MLPA

Jean Watkins & Maria Smith
Aikenhead Road Service Station

4MLPA-PLUS

Mahmood Saleem

Jet Mascot Ardeer Service Station

MIDLANDS

UP TO 4MLPA

Tom Dant

Spar Bilsby

4MLPA-PLUS

Michele Lawson

Spar Fairfield

NORTHERN ENGLAND

UP TO 4MLPA

Robert Eggo & Angela Prescott

Spar Roe Lane Service Station

4MLPA-PLUS

Kristian Harrison

Laceby Lodge Services

WEST COUNTRY & WALES

UP TO 4MLPA

Jessica King

Crossways Service Station

4MLPA-PLUS

Matt Westlake

Winning Post Services

LONDON & SOUTH EAST

UP TO 4MLPA

Alan Spackman & John Dowling

Hopcroft Holt

4MLPA-PLUS

Nick & Jonathan Fraser

Budgens Three Mile Cross

MOTORWAY

John Diviney

Applegreen M1 Southbound

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Ken Kay, Kay Group

OIL COMPANY INITIATIVE

Highly recommended: Certas Energy

Winner: Shell

FORECOURT TRADER OF THE YEAR

Applegreen, M1 Southbound