Maxol Braid River secured a double win with Excellence in Standards Award and Store of the Year Award while Maxol A26 Tannaghmore took home the Excellence in Customer Experience Award. Both stores are owned by Maxol and operated under license by Aramark. The annual scheme promotes and rewards excellence in station and store standards, customer experience, and community engagement across the Maxol network. Standards are assessed through store audits by regional managers and the team from head office, along with mystery shopper visits and reviews of each store’s local community engagement, which includes fundraising activities for Maxol’s nominated charity, Guide Dogs NI. Maxol Braid River secured their wins for ranking in the top percentile in mystery shopper and internal standards audits. Demonstrating strong local community involvement, Maxol Braid River has supported Maxol’s Charity Partner Guide Dogs NI through various fundraisers —including raffles and a Christmas Jumper Day—and contributed to Ballymena Rugby Club. Under the leadership of Aramark’s Regional Manager Nicola Farrell, Maxol Braid River has consistently maintained top-tier operational and service standards and it’s the second award for Excellence in Standards since its redevelopment in October 2023. Maxol A26 Tannaghmore received the Excellence in Customer Experience Award and they put their success down to their long-serving team of staff, many of whom have built strong relationships with local customers and daily commuters over the years. Staff have been praised for consistently going ‘above and beyond’ for them when they need help. In addition to the local community, A26 Tannaghmore is a popular stop for international tourists, with staff recognised for their warm hospitality, ensuring that every guest feels genuinely welcomed and appreciated. Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, said: “Our stores are truly ‘at the heart of it’— serving local communities and that’s why it’s important we hold ourselves to the highest standards and champion best practice across our stores. “The continued success of our business is driven by the passion, commitment, and drive for continuous improvement that we see from our fantastic teams. It’s what makes us an industry-leading convenience retailer. I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mark, Nicola and their store teams, who continue to set the gold standard across the Maxol network.” Aramark Regional Manager and Braid River site manager Nicola Farrell said: “We’re delighted to have received both the Excellence in Standards award and Store of the Year for Maxol Braid River. It’s a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our team —not just to meet expectations, but to exceed them. We’re especially proud to be recognised for the second year running as a relatively new store.” Aramark Account Director and licensee of Maxol A26 Tannaghmore, Mark Cribbin commented: “We are extremely proud to win these awards. We work hard to provide the very best customer service for all our valued customers. As we say, every customer is a boomerang...we bring them back.” A further five service stations across Northern Ireland were recognised for their exceptional efforts including: Maxol Edenderry on the Crumlin Road and Independent Dealer owned and operated locations at Maxol Clough owned by Henderson Retail Limited, Kenny’s Kilrea Service Station in Coleraine, Mulkerns Maxol in Newry and Litter’s Maxol in Portadown. For further information on Maxol, visit www.maxol.ie.