Fuel, food and retail customers are provided with exceptional value and service in convenient, comfortable surroundings at Applegreen Lusk M1 North, which had the distinction of being Ireland’s first motorway service station when it opened in 2010 and is also the busiest. We dropped in and had a word with award-winning manager Michael Feeney to find out more.
A convenient and high-quality motorists’ pit stop off the vital infrastructural artery that is the M1 motorway northbound, leaving the city, Applegreen Lusk North is certainly one of Ireland’s busiest and fastest-moving retail settings. Open 24/7, this service station has something for every traveller and the quality of customer service provided is exceptional.
This was duly recognised when popular store manager Michael Feeney – who has 30 years’ experience in retail management working in high volume locations – collected the prestigious Forecourt Manager of the Year (Large) Award at the 2022 Grocery Management Awards, which were held in a packed Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire on Wednesday night, July 6th.
Michael has been a key part of the Applegreen team for 23 years and he agrees that this latest award represents a worthy endorsement of the investment of time and energy made by all team members at Applegreen Lusk North every day to ensure the best possible customer experience.
“It’s really nice to get this recognition,” states the humble recipient, who has been managing the iconic service station since it opened twelve years ago. “I was nominated before, but this was my first time to take the award home. It’s a real honour to get it. I really appreciate the fact that the company put me forward for consideration and winning the award on the night was a welcome bonus.”
Michael has enjoyed an illustrious career with Applegreen, a homegrown Irish success story which began from humble beginnings in 1992, opening their first service station in Ballyfermot, West Dublin. Today, the business – still fronted by founders Bob Etchingham and Joe Barrett – is operating 620 forecourt sites and employing approximately 15,000 people across Ireland, the UK and America.
Up to 90 valued personnel are employed at Applegreen Lusk North during the peak of the summer season and it is fair to say that the place is a true hive of activity. Michael is quick to attribute the enduring success of this outlet to his trusty team:
“In retail, it’s all about the team,” he continues. “This is a vital stop along the motorway and we would see ourselves as a food and convenience company rather than a fuel company.
“We have a huge team here and they are all skilled and customer-focussed people. We have five food outlets, for example, as well as a very busy retail and convenience area, where the traveller can pick up toys and gifts. We were very lucky in that we didn’t lose any of our team during Covid. The key members all stuck with us and they are all wonderful people.”
Offering fuel for both the vehicle and the traveller, the service station is almost like a small compact town square on the side of the motorway, with petrol, diesel and electric vehicle charging stations all available alongside a plethora of other service including an ATM, gift shop, Lavazza coffee, Burger King, Freshii, The Bakewell, Chopstix Noodle Bar, a grocery store, children’s play area, outdoor dining area, showers and toilets, a car wash and much, much more 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 – independently-judged – 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.
“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.”
Applegreen Lusk M1 North,
Lusk,
Baldrumman,
Dublin,
K45 KD89.
Tel: 01 8949403
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 1 No 1, Winter 2022
