Tesco Ireland is to muscle in on the retail petrol market in the Republic - with its first three stations in Dublin and Kerry due to open within 18 months.
The company's plans were outlined by managing director Mr Maurice Pratt yesterday when he announced Tesco had recorded 7.8 per cent growth in sales for the first half of this year to €725.4 million.
Tesco plc has some 400 petrol stations in Britain and is considered its biggest petrol retailer. It entered the market there in a similar fashion, starting out with a small number of outlets. "We would clearly expect to bring new levels of competition into the petrol marketplace," Mr Pratt said.
The first three Irish stations will be located beside the Sandyford and Clearwater (Finglas) stores in Dublin and in Killarney, Co Kerry. Initially, stations will be located close to existing stores and stand-alone stations are unlikely in the short term, he said. There are 77 stores in the Republic.
On Tesco Ireland's other big departure of recent times - providing on-line grocery shopping - he said it had 24,000 registered users in the greater Dublin area and within a 20-mile radius of Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Galway and Ennis.