Ireland's Applegreen Builds Up U.S. Presence to 120-Plus Stores

DUBLIN — Applegreen plc grew its U.S. presence to more than 120 convenience stores by the end of 2018, a significant jump from the five sites it had in 2015.

The Ireland-based retailer has expanded through its quality retail value, low fuel price promise and its 100-percent traceable, quality-assured fuel, the company said.

"As of the end of 2018, we had in excess of 120 sites trading in the U.S., expanding our presence in the U.S. by nearly twenty-five-fold, in less than three years," said Niall Dolan, chief financial officer of Applegreen. "We see the U.S. as a very attractive growth market for our business and we are actively pursuing further expansion opportunities that should see us growing employment significantly in the coming years."

Its footprint in the United States now includes operations in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, South Carolina and Florida.

"Applegreen's ability to transfer their brand and value to the U.S. market so successfully in such a short period of time has been remarkable," said Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish State agency that works with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. "They exemplify the integrity and work ethic of Irish companies, and we're very proud to play our role in supporting such international expansion success."

Dublin-based Applegreen operates c-stores in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.