Applegreen has now raised more than €2 million for its charity partner Barretstown.
Last month, more than 80 Applegreen employees raised a combined €200,000 for Barretstown in a charity cycle from Belfast to the Barretstown campus in Co Kildare.
The impact of this additional donation means that Applegreen has now generated more than €2 million for Barretstown since it began partnering with the charity in 2023, which is double the initial target that had been agreed under the partnership.
“It has been truly amazing to see our partnership with Applegreen blossom over the past three years, and to witness the huge efforts of all their team to raise funds for Barretstown,” said Barretstown Chief Executive Dee Ahearn.
“Our partnership with Applegreen has been supported by employees at every level across their business in Ireland, and also by their customers who have gotten behind the Bands for Barretstown campaign in such amazing numbers. The €2 million that Applegreen has raised for Barretstown will have a hugely positive impact on the lives of the 27,000 children and family members we support who are affected by cancer and other serious illnesses, and we thank them most sincerely for all their efforts.
Breaching the €2 million milestone became a reality recently after 84 Applegreen employees completed charity cycle between Belfast and Barretstown campus in Co Kildare, which is the base for the charity.
The cycle, which was the third such event since Applegreen started raising funds for Barretstown in 2023, was a major success, according to Applegreen Group Chief Executive Joe Barrett.
“Back in 2023, eighteen of our colleagues took to the saddle and raised €18,000 for Barretstown, whereas this year, 84 colleagues took part in the charity cycle, raising a phenomenal €200,000 in total. Right across the company our people are hugely passionate about the partnership, volunteering their time at various times of the year to go to Barretstown and support the team there with cleaning, gardening, and all of the other jobs that are required to get the campus ready for their campers.”
Mr Barret said that it would be impossible for Applegreen to generate this level of financial support for Barretstown “without the support of the company’ suppliers, customers, and colleagues” and he thanked each of those groups for their ongoing assistance.
Founded in 1994 by Hollywood actor Paul Newman, Barretstown offers free, specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with cancer and other serious illness – supported behind the scenes by 24-hour on site medical and nursing care.
Applegreen had originally committed to a €1 million three-year partnership with Barretstown in 2023 but will now donate more than €2 million to the charity.
Applegreen is one of Ireland’s leading retail hospitality brands. It opened its first service station in Ballyfermot in Dublin in 1992 and now operates almost 200 locations in the Irish market.
Applegreen also has a very significant business overseas, with operations in Britain and the United States. It currently operates more than 430 locations, and more than 700 branded food offers across its global network.
Applegreen typically invests more than €50 million every year in the Irish market on new store openings, upgrades, and improvement. It has also been expanding its partnership with M&S Food, which is now available in 30 locations, and rolling out the market-leading Braeburn Coffee, which is now available in more than 100 locations nationwide, and eight Braeburn Cafés
Applegreen has annual sales of €4 billion and currently employs over16,000 people. It has plans for growth in all its major markets and intends to invest at least €1 billion in the business over the next five years. Its expansion plans are focused on acquiring and developing new sites in the markets in which it already operates, as well as upgrading and rebranding its existing locations.
