Family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer Maxol is investing £3.6 million in a significant redevelopment and expansion of its Belvoir service station at Shaws Bridge in Belfast, which will see the building increase by more than 300 square metres.
The investment is part of a wider five-year capital investment programme worth £84 million that Maxol is delivering across its network to meet the growing demand for convenience-led forecourt services that include coffee, groceries and food-to-go.
Maxol’s sustainable forecourt design will be fully implemented at Belvoir, where a host of cutting-edge technologies will be used to reduce the site’s existing carbon footprint.
Forecourt developments will see car parking facilities go from the current 18 to 48, including four disability parking bays, while pay-at-pump technology will be introduced, the drive-through car wash will be re-located on the new site and a new forecourt canopy with LED lighting will also be added.
And an EV charging hub, the third in Maxol’s estate in Northern Ireland, is planned as a second stage of the development, with six ultra rapid chargers and will open in 2025 under the Maxol Recharge brand.
Belvoir’s current retail space treble to 376 square metres. The service station and Spar store, operated under license by Maxol’s retail partner Henderson Group, will see a doubling of frozen food provision and the number of grocery and chilled bays increasing significantly.
A new Delish Deli with self-serve chicken bar and a new southern fried chicken offer will be introduced and the Barista Bar will be expanded to two units.
Maxol Group chief executive Brian Donaldson said: “We are building on the blueprint at Belvoir of what modern day roadside retail is going to look like to meet the needs of our growing base of customers.
“This development marks the continued roll-out of our innovative and sustainable forecourt design and demonstrates our commitment to being a more sustainable forecourt retailer.”
Maxol has a network of 244 branded service stations across the island of Ireland, of which 112 are company-owned.
In Northern Ireland, it owns 31 forecourts and operates a further 70 through its independent dealer network.