Circle K has reached an agreement to acquire a total of 10 Griffin Group convenience stores in Ireland.
The stores in question are currently operating as Griffin’s convenience stores with renowned food brands Subway and CHOPPED also operating from these locations.
The Griffin Group is a highly regarded convenience retail organisation operating in Ireland for over 30 years with 15 stores nationwide.
The 10 stores that Circle K are acquiring are all situated in Dublin, with the vast majority located in high profile Dublin city centre locations.
The stores are located on Upper O’Connell Street, Lower O’Connell Street, Westmoreland Street, College Green, Nassau Street, Grafton Street, Fonthill, Parkwest, and Sandyford, with the outlets in Sandyford consisting of one convenience store and a coffee shop.
The forecourt and convenience retailer said that the acquisition is subject to approval from the CCPC.
Recruitment Drive
A total of 200 staff are currently employed at the locations in question, all of whom will now become employees of Circle K and will continue working at the 10 stores.
This brings Circle K’s total number of employees in Ireland to just under 2,400, while its overall store footprint has increased to 430 nationwide.
The company said that, as restrictions have continued to ease, it has seen a significant increase in traffic and footfall across its company-owned network of forecourt locations in recent weeks.
To meet this increased demand, Circle K is now actively recruiting for a total of 150 full and part time positions.
Roles being recruited for include customer and food service assistants, as well as store management positions.
Gordon Lawlor, managing director, Circle K Ireland commented, “We are delighted to make this announcement today and I would like to formally welcome our new colleagues from the Griffin Group as well as our new partners Subway and CHOPPED to the Circle K family.
The Griffin Group has an established reputation in convenience retailing in high profile locations, with strong expertise in food and excellent partners, all of which greatly complements our network of forecourt locations and will be a tremendous addition to our business." he said.
"We are particularly excited at the opportunities this presents for our food business across our network in terms of innovation, shared learnings and new offerings for our customers, and are looking forward to collaborating with our new colleagues and partners,” Lawlor added.
Multi-Site Acquisition
The acquisition marks Circle K’s first move onto the high street in Ireland and also represents its first multi-site acquisition of standalone stores in Europe.
It is part of Circle K’s strategic ambition to deliver its convenience and food retail offering to customers on the high street, as well as to its established and extensive forecourt network.
Today’s announcement follows on from sustained investment by Circle K in the Irish market since its arrival in 2016, with a total of €150 million invested in that time period in the development of motorway locations, and the upgrade and development of existing forecourt locations, alongside a range of other brand, fuel, and infrastructural developments.
"We will continue looking at opportunities to expand our footprint in Ireland within our forecourt network, as well as any further opportunities we see in high footfall areas,” Lawlor said.
Seamus Griffin, CEO of Griffin Group added, “Each of these stores has been developed to the highest standards thanks to the hard work and dedication of our loyal staff, management and partners."
The Circle K convenience offering includes a range of products and services, including Circle K’s own specialty coffee, fresh food ranges, K-Freeze drinks, gourmet ice cream options, and a number of other convenience items.
The wider Circle K forecourt offering includes its next generation miles and milesPLUS fuel, EV charging facilities, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) solutions for the freight and haulage sectors, largest fuel card network in Ireland, extensive carwash facilities, and wider service offerings, including Parcel Motel and Revolution Laundry.
2021 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news click here. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
