Applegreen’s roadside food strategy expands as fast-growing US chicken brand targets nationwide growth.
Forecourt retailer Applegreen is to create up to 450 new jobs in Ireland after securing a deal to roll out Popeyes restaurants across the country.
The motorway services business will invest around €6m over the next four years to develop a series of Popeyes outlets at key locations nationwide.
Applegreen’s first Popeyes will open at Midway, Junction 17 on the M7 at Portlaoise in the next few weeks.
Popeyes UK and Ireland, which holds the master franchise for Popeyes in both the UK and Republic of Ireland, recently opened its first Irish outlet in Blanchardstown on 6 June, with a second due to open in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre shortly.
Tasty deal
Applegreen has been working with Popeyes in the United States since 2021 and currently operates 24 of its chicken restaurants at travel plaza locations in Delaware, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
“We are delighted to add Popeyes to our growing portfolio of high-quality brands in the Irish market,” said Seamus Stapleton, managing director of Applegreen’s Republic of Ireland business.
“At Applegreen, we’re committed to raising the bar for roadside hospitality and offering great food and world‑class service to people on the move. Popeyes is a fantastic addition to the Applegreen offer and we can’t wait to open our first Popeyes outlet at Midway later this summer.”
Popeyes is a 50-plus years restaurant chain known for its authentic Southern hospitality and signature hand-breaded and battered famous ‘shatter crunchin’ chicken. The company is one of the world’s fastest-growing chicken quick service restaurant brands, operating from with around 5,400 restaurants in 50 countries worldwide, with annual sales of $8 billion.
Popeyes UK and Ireland Chief Development Officer, Tom Byng, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Applegreen as we roll out new restaurants across the Republic of Ireland. The partnership will allow us to reach more consumers on the move and marks an exciting milestone in our journey to bring our much-loved shatter crunchin’ chicken to Irish customers, with our first Irish restaurant in Blanchardstown now open.”
Applegreen has signed a partnership agreement with Popeyes UK and Ireland, which operates the brand in both regions.
Popeyes entered the UK market in 2021 and has already grown to over 110 restaurants there, with 3,500 employees, and generating sales of over £118 million in 2024, up from £15 million in 2022. Popeyes UK was named Europe’s No.1 fastest growing company in the food and beverage industry, according to the Financial Times latest FT1000 ranking.
Applegreen opened its first service station in Ballyfermot in Dublin in 1992 and now operates almost 200 locations in the Irish market. Applegreen typically invests more than €30 million every year in the Irish market on new store openings, upgrades, and improvements.
The Irish business also has a significant business overseas, with operations in Britain and the United States, and a total of more than 435 locations and more than 700 branded food offers across its global network.
The Applegreen business currently employs about 16,900 people and it has further plans for growth in all of its major markets as it is currently engaged in a €1 billion expansion programme. It had a turnover of almost €4 billion last year and serves about 180 million customers annually.
In the UK, Applegreen’s Welcome Break business operates 60 sites, including 36 motorway service areas, and 31 hotels. In the US, Applegreen has 181 sites, and more than 300 branded food outlets. It is also planning a major €85 million investment to further expand its EV charging networks.
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