Video: Maxol breaks ground on significant £3.6million re-development of Northern Ireland Service Station

Maxol, Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, is investing £3.6million in a significant redevelopment and expansion of Maxol Belvoir Service Station in Belfast which will see the building increase by over 300 square metres.

The investment at Shaws Bridge is part of a wider five-year capital investment programme worth £84m 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 Maxol Belvoir. A host of cutting-edge technologies will be used to reduce the site’s existing carbon footprint which include the use of LED lighting; glass door refrigeration to reduce the refrigeration load by up to 60%; photovoltaic (solar) panels to reduce electrical import requirements; solar efficient glazing to reduce solar gain in the summer and heat loss in winter; exhaust heat pump technology to maximise building heat retention and reduce heating loads; and an energy management system to monitor and control the overall energy usage on the site and to verify what savings are being achieved by each of the technologies used.

Forecourt developments will see car parking facilities more than double from the current 18 to 48 including four disability parking bays. Pay at Pump technology will be introduced to ensure greater convenience for customers during busy trading periods, 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.

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 will nearly treble from 137 sq. meters to 376 sq. meters. The service station and Spar store, operated under license by Maxol’s retail partner, the Henderson Group will see a doubling of frozen food provision and the number of grocery and chilled bays increasing significantly. Customers can expect to find a much bigger range of locally produced food including an expanded grocery offer, with fresh butchery, fresh bakery and extended fruit & veg, dairy, and frozen food ranges.

A new Delish Deli with self-serve Chicken Bar and a new Southern Fried Chicken offer will be introduced. Barista Bar Coffee for quality coffee on the go will be expanded to two units for improved speed of service.

Also for customers’ convenience, three self-checkouts will be installed. New customer toilets will also be included within the new store development.

Maxol Belvoir is closed for the duration of the development and work is expected to be completed in late Summer. Alternative Maxol sites that can be used while the work is ongoing can be found by clicking on the Maxol Station Finder link.

Brian Donaldson, chief executive Officer of The Maxol Group, said: “At Maxol Belvoir we are building on the blueprint of what modern day roadside retail is going to look like to meet the needs of our growing base of customers.

"Our customers can expect to see a completely new forecourt design and a brand-new Spar store with a convenience-led offer that has the latest fresh food concepts.

"This development marks the continued rollout of our innovative and sustainable forecourt design and demonstrates our commitment to being a more sustainable forecourt retailer.

"I look forward to the business opening in late summer and ensuring we continue to meet the everyday needs of our customers in a modern, vibrant, sustainable and welcoming environment."