Fuel and forecourt retailer Applegreen has announced it has reached an agreement to sell its UK petrol filling station business to EG On The Move, a UK-based operator of filling stations and convenience stores. The deal involves 98 petrol stations across the UK, which employ 1,142 people. Applegreen confirmed that the majority of staff members will be transferred to the new owner, with a small number of roles being affected due to overlap. Employees impacted by these changes have been offered redeployment or a redundancy programme.
Applegreen indicated that the proceeds from the sale will be reinvested into its operations across Ireland, the UK, and the US. The company clarified that the sale does not impact its UK Welcome Break business, which includes 59 sites across the UK and Northern Ireland, employing over 6,000 people, including 34 Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) and 31 hotels.
“We remain fully committed to our presence and further expansion in the UK market. We have ambitious plans to grow both Welcome Break and our electric vehicle (EV) charging business,” said Joe Barrett, Applegreen’s co-founder and CEO. “We are actively developing new sites and revamping existing ones as part of our €1 billion investment plan announced last year.”
Barrett highlighted the upcoming opening of a £55 million Welcome Break MSA on the M1 near Rotherham as an example of the company’s expansion efforts. Applegreen also confirmed plans to continue investing in its petrol filling station operations in Ireland, including further development of its M&S partnership, which is already present at 21 locations, and the expansion of its Braeburn Coffee brand.
The company emphasized its growing focus on larger sites in the UK and the US, where food offerings are central to its customer experience. Additionally, Applegreen is set to increase its investment in EV charging infrastructure, with an €85 million expansion programme slated to roll out over the next five years across Ireland, the UK, and the US.
The sale of Applegreen’s UK petrol filling station business is expected to close by the end of the month.
