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Dive Brief:

• Applegreen quietly named a new president for its U.S. business in late spring, a spokesperson from the Irish convenience retailer confirmed to C-Store Dive on Tuesday.
• Andy Malik assumed the role on May 18, the spokesperson said in an email. He succeeded Zack Kollias, who left the retailer in February 2025, less than two years into his role.
• The leadership change comes as the Dublin-based convenience retailer continues investing in its U.S. travel center network.

Dive Insight:

Applegreen's top U.S. leadership position remained vacant for more than a year after Kollias left the company for undisclosed reasons. During that time, Applegreen’s U.S. business was managed by senior executives from within the company’s internal team, according to the spokesperson.

That hole has now been filled by Malik, who will primarily work out of Applegreen’s U.S. headquarters in Glen Rock, New Jersey, and will focus on “delivering the best experience” across the company’s 181-location network, the spokesperson said.

Applegreen is Malik’s first convenience retailing role. He spent nearly 12 of the past 14 years with foodservice and facilities management company Sodexo, according to his LinkedIn bio. Malik was Sodexo’s regional vice president from 2012 to 2021, and then its senior vice president of operations from 2023 until departing for Applegreen. Malik was senior vice president for in-home care company Comfort Keepers for the two years in between his Sodexo stretches.

Malik will lead Applegreen's ongoing U.S. expansion efforts. which have included remodeling its travel centers on the New York State Thruway, New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, as well as growing its electric vehicle charging footprint in New York. 

Applegreen is also developing its first four highway service plazas in the Denver, Colorado, area as part of a $70 million investment. The first of those sites is expected to open later this year.

“We are also keen to expand our highway service plaza business into new markets in the US, and Andy will also be playing a key role in this area,” Applegreen’s spokesperson said in a statement.