20 February 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Topaz, Ireland’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, has today announced it will create 230 jobs in conjunction with McDonald’s, across two Motorway Service Areas located on the M8 Cork/Dublin Road in Fermoy and the M9 Dublin/Waterford Road at Rathcrogue, Co. Carlow. Additionally, during the construction phase of both developments a total of 100 jobs will be created across both sites. The Fermoy development will be in direct conjunction with local developer JR Oronco and is due to open in Autumn 2017. Topaz Junction 5, M9, Co. Carlow is due to open in March 2017.
The overall Topaz investment will be €14 million, while McDonald’s are investing €2 million, bringing the total investment to €16 million. The service area will be in well-positioned Motorway locations on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Waterford routes, to best serve motorists making the long journey between cities.
Once opened, the service areas will be in operation 24 hours a day, providing a full range of services to all road users day and night. There will be in excess of 140 parking spaces at each station, to include generous truck parking, coach parking, and additional facilities such as secure ADR parking.
Niall Anderton MD of Topaz commented: “The Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Waterford routes are two of the busiest routes in Ireland, and we are excited to announce this development of two new full-service stations to serve Irish motorists. The development represents a very significant investment by Topaz, and we are also delighted to be able to bring a large number of jobs to both Cork and Carlow…”
Nigel McGuire, Director of Property and Supply Chain, McDonald’s: “…Our focus is on retail expansion, to meet customer demand in new locations. We are committed to delivering a great experience in every McDonald’s; our new restaurants will demonstrate our continued innovation to meet changing customer needs and desires, through our menu, dining facilities and our people. ”
