Maxol unveils €4.5 million redevelopment of Long Mile Road site
IFCR talks to a delighted Thomas Ennis on the opening of his re-vamped site.
The new focus is on non-fuel sales with expanded Deli offering unveiled alongside new Zambrero, drive-through Burger King and expansion of the Dunnes Stores alliance.
Located at a prime position at the junction of the Naas, Long Mile and Nangor Roads, Maxol Long Mile Road already occupied a key arterial route between Dublin and Cork and Dublin and Limerick. Now, it has been completely transformed into a modern, sustainable roadside retail destination at the heart of the commuter belt.
“It took a number of months” said Thomas. “It was a total knock-down and rebuild from scratch. Following demolition, we were operating out of a portacabin for a few months. There’s basically nothing left of the old building.
“A lot of thought went into what is a really good project. I’ve done a couple of revamps with Maxol before, as I’ve been a dealer with Maxol for 16 years. This one was in the planning for a long time, but I’ve been happy with the whole process. There were a lot of people involved – with weekly site meetings and so on – but Maxol always has a great team to work with.”
€4.5 million redevelopment
The redevelopment of Maxol Long Mile Road, marks one of Maxol’s most significant single-site investments in recent years. It forms part of Maxol’s five-year, €175m investment strategy for growth, further strengthening the Irish forecourt and convenience retailer’s portfolio in Dublin.
The project involved the demolition of the former 340 sq. metre shop and the construction of a brand-new 547 sq. metre retail facility, significantly enhancing the customer experience and overall offering. The flagship store now features an expanded Maxol Deli, global Mexican restaurant Zambrero and a new Burger King restaurant complete with a drive-thru, as well as new digital ordering screens in-store for commuters and locals on the go.
In an extension of Maxol’s exclusive alliance with Dunnes Stores, Long Mile Road now offers premium meal solutions from the Simply Better and Dunnes Stores food range, as well as a range of premium wines.
The shop also includes 100 sq. metres of dedicated general retail space, Maxol’s signature coffee, ROSA Coffee, an off-licence, seating for 48 customers, ATM and modern washroom facilities.
“Basically, now it’s a food court that sells groceries. The food court is selling great quality food – we’ve added a lot to the range. The Fresh Food Team at Maxol came up with the idea for Fresh Irish Breaded Chicken which is going down very well,” said Thomas.
“The whole Deli has been revitalised. Zambreros is particularly well received. Burgen King is trading well as always. There’s now massive sit-down areas, with both open areas and private booths for meetings. It’s all been really well thought through.
“The food complements the space – there’s also a really good offering across grocery with the new partnership with Dunnes Stores.
“It’s been really well received by customers – and staff are also delighted.
A first-class team
“We’re very lucky to have the staff we have. We kept some on the site in the temporary shop, while others were repositioned around the other stores – so that when we re-opened, we still had the same staff.
“We are all about our people – and customers were pleased to see that we have retained out staff.
“We re-opened on 19th December – which was a great time to open a new shop. It was all hands on deck – but was very exciting and enjoyable. Staff loved being the centre of attention and it was lovely to see their sense of pride – they were really enjoying the moment.
“I’ve been 21 years working for myself and 30 years in retailing. It’s no big secret that if you look after your people and bring them on the journey with you, everyone benefits.
“All the staff were involved from the start. There was strong communication and everyone was excited about the whole project.
“Local customer and visitors are very impressed” said Thomas. “We had a group of overseas visitors in today and it was lovely to see how impressed they were.”
Dunnes Stores Offering
“We’ve not got a big Dunnes Stores offering – the Dunnes Partnership has been great. Both Maxol and Dunnes are two of Ireland’s great family businesses. The whole experience of dealing with Dunnes has been great – they’re simplified the ordering process and are so easy to work with, so we have plans to do more to expand that relationship.
“We’ve also extended the off-licence with a full chilled wine and beer offering, which is going down well with customers too.”
Upgraded Forecourt
Upgrades have also been delivered on the forecourt to provide additional services including a state-of-the-art car wash and increased customer parking to improve traffic flow and customer convenience.
“Outside we’ve expanded and modernised the parking area, with a new modern car wash. We’ve upgraded all the pumps, added a new canopy – and EV charging points are a work in progress.”
A Maxol Milestone
“This redevelopment marks an exciting milestone for Maxol,” Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, said. “The new-and-improved Maxol Long Mile Road is a testament to the company’s commitment to investing in high-quality, future-focused roadside retail destinations.
“Maxol is committed to setting the standard in modern roadside retail. At Long Mile Road, we have focused heavily on enhancing our food offering, introducing new and expanded brands to serve customers at every time of day. From breakfast through to dinner, we provide high-quality food to go and a wide variety of options for every customer.
“The redeveloped site is indicative of Maxol’s repositioning as a leading convenience retailer, with food, coffee, grocery and car washing services driving growth, while ensuring our sites meet the changing needs of our loyal customers. Our Licensee Thomas Ennis and his team excel at delivering a brilliant customer experience and we wish him and his store team every success.”
Energy-efficient
Maxol’s latest sustainable forecourt design has been fully implemented at Long Mile Road, incorporating:
- CO₂ refrigeration with energy-efficient doors.
- High-performance glazing to reduce heat loss.
- Heat pump technology for low-carbon heating.
- LED lighting throughout.
- Rooftop solar panels with inverter system to offset energy demand.
These measures significantly reduce the site’s environmental footprint while lowering long-term energy consumption. The redevelopment comes as the surrounding area continues to evolve under the City Edge Project, a joint initiative between Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council aimed at delivering up to 40,000 new homes and substantially increasing employment across the corridor.
Over the last decade, Maxol has invested more than €225 million in expanding and upgrading its service station network, including the acquisition of 23 freehold properties, the large-scale development of 25 sites and around 50 smaller projects.
The launch of the new Long Mile Road site was marked with a high-profile customer event – Lunch in the Bag. Delighted Maxol customers were treated to delicious food sampling from right across the in-store range, an FM104 live broadcast with Graham and Nathan and prizes galore.
Brand Loyalty
Thomas highlighted the positive relationship he has had with Maxol going back 16 years.
“I’m very loyal to Maxol, they have been with me every step of the way. We have a great relationship.”
Thomas now has twelve stores and four forecourts, since opening his first store on Merrion Row back in 2005.
Since then he has built the business up into what it is now – employing 320 people – with two more stores coming soon.
“I like to promote from within. Staff retention is very good. You can have all the best shops but without the right mix of people, it’s nothing. Staff are core to success.
“Everything in retailing – and particularly forecourt retailing – is changing. The consumer is more educated, and they want quality food. We can certainly stand over the quality of our food,” said Thomas.
“You have to keep looking out for what’s coming down the road – but good quality food and exceptional service will always stay the same. You can dip into the trends – but people ultimately want good food, clean facilities, to feel safe and secure in bright surroundings, and to sit down and have good food.
“That’s where the future is – providing good quality food, in clean, bright, safe surroundings. That will always be on trend.”
Upgraded forecourt includes:
- The adjacent former Beechlawn Motors site has been integrated into the overall footprint, allowing for expanded parking and a relocated car wash facility.
- Parking capacity has increased from 23 to 37 spaces.
- Fuel pump islands benefit from a redesigned canopy layout.
- Dedicated motorcycle and bicycle parking
