DUBLIN, Ireland – Mark Paul of the Irish Times wrote a story last week on Applegreen/Petrogas expanding into the U.S. market.

“So thrilled is Applegreen/Petrogas with its nascent push into the U.S., that the forecourts retailer is already looking to expand its network. Bob Etchingham, co-founder of the group, is currently over there scouting sites on the East Coast,” Paul wrote, adding that the Irish retailer has purchased its first two forecourt sites “in the curiously-named Long Island towns of Hicksville and Plainview.”

Joe Barrett, co-founder of company, told Paul that Applegreen is planning to open “two to three” U.S. locations in 2014.

“We’ll ramp it up over time,” said Barrett. “It’s not our style to enter markets with a big bang.”