A NEW Applegreen motorway service area on the city-bound section of the M1 between Sprucefield and Belfast is set to create 120 jobs for the north.
The new location, directly opposite an identical Applegreen service station, is due to open during the first quarter of this year, with a recruitment fair being held next Thursday.
This will be the Dublin-based chain’s sixth location in the north, where it currently operates filling stations in Coleraine, Ballymena and Hillsborough, with a further two motorway service areas at Templepatrick and near Lisburn.
Like other Applegreen locations, this new venture will feature full convenience stores and a wide range of food offerings, including a Burger King, Chopstix, Greggs and a coffee shop.
In recent years the brand has gone from strength to strength, building on its strong presence in the south and expanding into the UK and the US.
Last June, the company went public on the Irish Stock Exchange, raising €70 million in its initial post offering.
This was followed by the scooping of the coveted ‘Star of 2016’ prize at the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards in Brussels, beating out Belfast-based Kainos and Spain’s Inclam Group.
Joe Barrett, chief operations officer of Applegreen, said contributing to the north’s economy was an important goal in adding the new location.
"We are really looking forward to the opening of our second motorway service area on the M1, our sixth site in Northern Ireland and a key priority for us in supporting local employment," he said.
"This recruitment fair is the first we have done in Northern Ireland and we look forward to welcoming local talent to work with us and our food partners.
"We are excited to continue to develop our business here and grow with the communities around our sites."
There are also plans in the works to bring a further motorway service area at the city-bound side of the M2, opposite the current location, which opened to rave reviews in April last year.
Meanwhile, Titanic Belfast says it will be creating 60 fixed-term contract jobs as it gets a head start on preparations for the summer season.
The news comes just weeks following the awarding of the 'World's Leading Tourist Attraction' at the World Travel Awards.
Titanic Belfast’s chief executive Tim Husbands said their staff were one of the key reasons for their success.
"To ensure our world-class standards are met and maintained, all our employees go through a robust training programme, including substantial on the job and bespoke customer service training," he said.
"We are looking forward to a strong 2017 and if you have an interest in tourism, excellent communication skills and interest in both Titanic and Belfast’s industrial heritage – you could have the 'Titanic-factor' and be part of our award-winning crew."
