Applegreen operates nine sites in Ireland and Northern Ireland
Typical brands are those found at the majority of Applegreen service areas. Other brands are less common, and may only be at one or two sites.
Note that where a service area comprises two separate inline facilities on opposite sides of the road, a brand may only be available on one side rather than both.
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⛽ 166.8 193.8
⛽ 166.8 193.8
Applegreen is one of Ireland's best-known roadside brands. It runs almost 200 locations in the Irish market, from city forecourts to large motorway service areas. It began with a single petrol station in the Dublin suburb of Ballyfermot in 1992. The group now operates across Ireland, the UK and the United States, with 435 locations and more than 750 branded food outlets.
Applegreen floated on the stock market in 2015. In 2021 it was taken private in a €718 million deal led by its founders, Robert Etchingham and Joseph Barrett, together with Blackstone Infrastructure Partners. The founders kept a combined stake of 42.5%. The group's UK arm includes Welcome Break, which runs motorway and trunk-road service areas. Applegreen agreed to sell its separate UK petrol station business for €187 million so that it could focus on those larger sites.
Applegreen was one of the companies behind Ireland's first motorway service areas. As part of a consortium called SuperStop, with Top Oil and Pierse Contracting, it won a public-private partnership contract from the National Roads Authority to build and run service areas on the M1 and M4, at Castlebellingham, Lusk and Enfield. These were much larger than a typical forecourt, with separate areas for HGVs and coaches.
Applegreen's biggest move in the UK came in 2018, when it bought a majority stake in Welcome Break, reported to be 55%. The deal completed on 31 October 2018. Welcome Break was then the second-largest motorway service operator in the UK, with 34 motorway service areas, three trunk road service areas and 29 hotels. Applegreen funded the purchase through a mix of debt and a share issue, and described it as a transformational step that gave it a strong platform in the UK service area market. It moved quickly to fold its own UK sites into the business and to hand Welcome Break responsibility for future UK service area development. Welcome Break also began to move away from selling Shell fuel at its forecourts. Today Welcome Break operates 60 sites, including 36 motorway service areas, and 31 hotels. In 2025 the business closed a €937 million refinancing and agreed 75-year lease extensions on eight of its sites. Applegreen agreed to sell its separate UK petrol station business for €187 million so that it could focus on these larger sites.
Applegreen has opened two major new sites in a year. A €15 million motorway service area at Junction 6 of the M3 in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, opened in September 2025, bringing the first Taco Bell to Ireland. A second €15 million site opened in late September 2026 at the Naas Ball, Junction 9 of the M7 in Co Kildare. It is expected to create 150 jobs and includes a separate truck stop, a car wash, and ultra-fast EV charging. It is also due to host the first Popeyes drive-thru in the Republic of Ireland.
Smaller sites are being upgraded too. In June 2026, Applegreen opened its 42nd service area in Ireland at Harold's Cross in Dublin, with an M&S Food shop-in-shop, Braeburn Coffee, a convenience store and a car wash. The company is also expanding its own Braeburn coffee range and rolling out a food brand called Crafted Kitchen & Deli.
Applegreen set up a dedicated subsidiary, Applegreen Electric, in 2021, though it first entered EV charging in 2014. It reports more than one million charging sessions a year across its sites. Several Applegreen sites on the national road network, including Birdhill on the M7 and Ballinasloe on the M6, have been named as successful applicants for a state grant scheme for EV charging. The company has also committed €85 million to expand EV charging in Ireland, the UK and the US.
Applegreen says it is investing €1 billion across its three markets over five years, and typically spends more than €30 million a year in Ireland alone. After Dunshaughlin and Naas, the focus looks set to remain on larger roadside hubs that combine food, fuel and fast charging.
