Petrogas, which operates Applegreen service stations, has moved to allay fears relating to 40 jobs in its finance department, reports.

It said the company’s accounting functions, consisting of about 40 jobs, would be outsourced by the end of the year.

However, Petrogas has said that about half of the affected employees will be redeployed in finance-related areas, while approximately 20 others will be offered alternative positions.

A Petrogas spokesman said the move would maintain the company’s low-price promise and bring it into alignment with competitors, who also outsource their accounting functions: “We are fortunate in being able to offer alternative positions in other areas of the business to everyone affected by this change. We will of course offer a comprehensive retraining package to anyone redeployed into a new area.”