Maxol has opened the doors to its largest ever development in Northern Ireland at Tannaghmore, County Antrim.

In a first for Northern Ireland and the UK and a forecourt exclusive for Maxol, the A26 Services has introduced Freshly Chopped, fast-food franchise, whose mission is to offer fresh and nutritious food through a range of generously portioned salads, wraps, sandwiches and soups that are made to order for the customer and served quickly.

The new services also welcomes Abrakebabra, Ireland’s quick-service restaurant chain known for its kebabs, burgers, baguettes, loaded fries along with newer innovations like the Chicken Katsu Curry Fries and the Crunchy Falafel on Flatbread - all cooked fresh and made to order.

Moreish, Maxol’s own ‘Fresh Food’ deli, complements the extensive choice available and completes the comprehensive and balanced food offering, which has been tailored to meet the needs of every customer from breakfast and throughout the day.

Maxol has appointed Aramark, a global specialist in food service as its licensee to operate the new services. The team will be led by Gerry Bennett, who will manage the Maxol A26 Tannaghmore Services as a 24/7 facility.

Brian Donaldson, chief executive of Maxol, Northern Ireland’s leading family owned forecourt and convenience retailer, said: "The opening of this state-of-the-art Maxol A26 Tannaghmore Services marks a milestone for the company here in Northern Ireland. What we are bringing to the market is transformational and at the cutting edge of forecourt services that includes retail and fresh food dining offers.

"We’re delighted to welcome Freshly Chopped to the Maxol family in Northern Ireland alongside Abrakebabra and our own Moreish deli. We will enhance our extensive food and drink offer here later this year, when we also open a Starbucks store, bringing great quality coffee to customers.

"We are providing our customers with even greater choice to meet their ever-demanding lifestyles in a modern and welcoming environment. Whether they are looking for the convenience of a freshly prepared meal or the option to choose from an excellent range of fresh ingredients under Spar, our symbol partners, we are catering for every need at all times of the day.

"Maxol is a private business owned by the McMullan family and in 2020 we will be celebrating 100 years in business. I am proud to lead a company that has invested in excess of £100 million over the last four years in Ireland with more than £20 million invested in Northern Ireland through station openings, refits and the re-branding of nearly 100 forecourts.

"Further investment is planned for Northern Ireland with another four developments on the scale of Tannaghmore using a mix of new greenfield and existing sites, where we have adequate land as we look to extend our retail offering, with a heavy focus towards made to order fresh and healthy food.”

The opening of Maxol A26 Tannaghmore Services follows a £3.75 million investment on a 2.5-acre site that includes a fully equipped dedicated truck facility, Maxwash car wash facility, internal seating for 100 people, free Wi-Fi and parking for 45 vehicles. The new, almost 8,000 square foot development offers the latest in forecourt design and it has been constructed and fitted out using cutting-edge technology to harness solar energy and harvest rain water to ensure it has a low-carbon footprint.

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