Applegreen and Me

We spend a lot of time at Petrol stations. Well, I do anyway.

We’ve got our Topaz, Maxol, Texaco and others. We used to have our Statoil, Jet, Shell, etc. But never has one brand achieved anything like Applegreen. This is the first time in my life I’d actually bypass a petrol station if it isn’t of one particular brand – and that brand is Applegreen.

OK, so they’re on the motorways. But, in fact, I’m rarely on a motorway, so that isn’t a factor for me personally. No, I’m talking about places like Frenchpark, Swinford, Birr and Poles.

There’s something about them. The interior design is as nice as you’ll find in a Roadside Petrol Station. Heck, some of them even have comfortable armchairs and low coffee tables to sit down and enjoy your coffee. The toilets are – wait for it – clean! They’ve got a decent rewards scheme going, complete with handy small keyring card. Their fuel price signage is big and clear, making it simple to choose to stop when driving towards them. And let’s face it, they’ve got bright cheery light-coloured green fascia and branding.

But there’s more. There’s a quality about the place. They’ve dumped the typical cheap and nasty look of a Roadside Petrol station, with crappy interior doors and poorly thought out interior. They’ve gone with nice rich-coloured shelving, doors and walls, with some dark browns, rather than bright white or light creams. In as much as is reasonable in this environment, they’ve gone with an upmarket look, while keeping the fuel prices low.

We speak of the “Four Ps” of product marketing. Applegreen has nailed its product, pricing and place (great locations). I don’t need to pay attention to the promotion; I’m converted already. Then again, maybe that means they’ve nailed that ‘p’ too …

But in services marketing, there are three other “Ps”, namely processes, Physical Evidence and people. Applegreen would appear to have made a particularly conscious effort on the physical evidence front. Basically, they’re nice petrol stations. Enough said.

During 2015, Applegreen held its initial IPO on the Irish Stock Exchange.

However, in March 2016, Clare County Council rejected its bid for a new motorway station in that county.

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