Applegreen opened its first travel plaza in Colorado on Sept, 29, a spokesperson for the convenience retailer confirmed to C-Store Dive.
The site in Parker, Colorado, about 21 miles southeast of downtown Denver, features an Applegreen convenience store, Shake Shack, Panda Express and Starbucks, along with electric vehicle charging stations in the forecourt, according to Applegreen’s website.
The Parker site is the first of four Applegreen travel plazas set to open in Colorado as the Dublin-based company expands across the U.S.
Applegreen announced plans in August 2025 to invest $70 million to build the travel plazas in the Denver area through a partnership with the E-470 Public Highway Authority. CEO Joe Barrett said at the time that the Parker location would be the first to begin construction, followed by sites in Aurora and Commerce City.
The first Colorado travel plaza was expected to be operational by Q4 2026, meaning Applegreen’s debut in the Centennial State was right on schedule.
In a LinkedIn announcement on Tuesday, Applegreen U.S. President Andy Malik said the Parker plaza’s opening marks an important step in the company’s U.S. expansion.
“An opening like this takes tremendous work behind the scenes,” Malik said. “I want to recognize and thank everyone across our U.S. team, our colleagues in Dublin, and all of our partners who helped bring Parker to life.”
Applegreen said last year that each Colorado location would feature an Applegreen convenience store, three branded food and beverage outlets, fuel, Applegreen Electric EV chargers, seating areas and restrooms. The company has not disclosed which foodservice concepts will anchor the Aurora and Commerce City locations.
In a statement to C-Store Dive, Applegreen’s spokesperson said these three additional plazas are expected to “come onstream” over the next few months.
“Colorado is a new State for Applegreen — our eleventh so far — and we look forward to putting down strong roots within the communities of Parker, Commerce City and Aurora,” the spokesperson said.
Applegreen’s Colorado arrival continues a busy stretch of growth for the retailer, which has taken on several initiatives since revealing plans to spend over $1 billion developing its travel center business in the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland through 2029.
As of Wednesday, Applegreen U.S. has 108 travel plazas across 11 states, including Colorado, according to the spokesperson.
