John Diviney CEO Interview: Welcome Break Newark raises the bar for UK road services

Welcome Break Newark is delivering a step change in the provision of services on A roads in the UK.

Opened in March 2023 on the A1, west of Nottingham and south of Sheffield, Welcome Break is a double drive-thru format, offering a host of top foodservice brands as well as EV charging, HGV and passenger refueling and ample car parking.

A contender in Insight’s Best Foodvenience Store in the World contest, Welcome Break Newark has raised the bar, according to chief executive John Diviney.

“It’s the size of the site in comparison to everything else nearby that sets it apart –  the food and beverage offer and brand line up, the parking, fuel and EV charging, facilities and toilets,” he says. “There’s something to suit every taste from families to business people. It’s easily accessible, easy to park and well lit.”

Diviney was appointed chief executive at Welcome Break in November 2018 when Applegreen acquired a majority stake in the business. He had previously run Applegreen’s UK operation after an 11-year career in the Irish business in both financial and commercial roles.

A new to industry site, Welcome Break Newark is winning good traction, Diviney reports.

“We are seeing good growth year-on-year – the site is growing every month as people get used to planning it into their stops when using the A1,” he says.

The branded food and beverage line up is a big draw. It includes a Greggs, Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Burger King plus a Budgens convenience store.

Starbucks is a standalone unit with a drive-thru, while the Burger King, which is located in the main building, features a wrap-around drive-thru providing an additional convenient option for customers on-the-go.

Drive-thrus have been part of the Welcome Break offer for a long time but Covid kicked it on to another level due to their convenience, Diviney says.

Newark hosts a generous communal seating area, enabling visitors who arrive together in one car to make their own preferences from the selection of food and beverage brands on offer but regroup to enjoy their meals in a comfortable setting.

A great team – 80 employees – also gives the site an edge. Newark is managed and operated by Welcome Break and all team members are trained in the branded and Welcome Break offers. The company has a strong training ethic and provides a rich opportunity for people development across the business due to the range of brands, which it operates, Diviney says.

Employee excellence in terms of customer service and speed of service is measured both by the number of visitors and return visits, improving Net Promoter Scores plus team member retention rates on the site – overall Welcome Break Newark has a team stability rate of 65% in the year-to-date.

While the spread of business is pretty even across the food and beverage brands, Greggs is a big footfall driver and provides a great value offer, Diviney reports.

The Starbucks drive-thru has been popular too and many customers will visit Starbucks for coffee and Pret A Manager for food.

In terms of fuel, the forecourt offers six pumps with four fuel grades, four dedicated HGV fueling lanes, 12 Applegreen Electric EV charge points, 99 car parking spaces and 47 HGV/coach spaces. Tesla EV charge points will be installed shortly, Diviney reports. Usage is growing and expected to increase significantly once full EV charging signage arrives for the A1.

While the majority of volume at Newark is non-HGV drivers, truckers are using the site more often as they plan it into their routes, Diviney says. HGV drivers are also catered for with overnight parking facilities, as well as for their Tacho breaks, showers and toilets.

HGV drivers also benefit from a better and healthier range of food options than they would normally have access to on the road.

With Welcome Break Newark open for 18 months, construction has just begun on a similar style site on the A46 in Hickling, Nottinghamshire. It will also feature a dual drive-thru, a similar foodservice line up plus EV charging.

A new to industry Welcome Break motorway services area will open in Rotherham at Junction 33 on the M1 in Q1 2025. An offline, carriageway motorway location, with access from both Northbound & Southbound it will be significantly bigger than Newark with KFC, Burger King, Pret A Manger, Starbucks, Chopstix, Waitrose, WHSmith and Good Breakfast on site plus a separate amenity building for truck drivers; as well as Welcome Break fueling, Applegreen Electric and Tesla EV chargers plus HGV fueling.

According to Diviney, new sites will appeal to customers looking for good, clean facilities, the best high street brands and top quality customer service.

Welcome Break aims to drive an emotional connection with its visitors so that they will seek out its sites for future stops, Diviney says.

And there’s no let up.

“The future we have for Welcome Break is bright with our great pipeline for motorway service sites and trunk roads like the A1. Our focus is to continue to grow our presence on the UK strategic road network” he says.