More than 450 jobs are being created across the country in a variety of sectors.

Motorway service area company Applegreen is to create 360 jobs over the next 18 months as part of a €30 million expansion. It is constructing six service stations, with the first new forecourt opening in Co Wicklow today.

The new forecourt is being opened at Junction 14 of the M11.The company says it will be accessible to 35,000 motorists per day.

Applegreen, which is owned by Petrogas Global, said 250 temporary construction jobs would be created in the expansion.

Meanwhile a company formed by ex-smokers to make e-smoking products has announced 80 new jobs, and said it could be employing up to 1,000 people within a year.

The new jobs were confirmed by Healthier Smoker at an expansion of its manufacturing operation in Waterford city, which will also include a visitor centre.

The company says 40 of the new jobs will be in its 150 retail outlets and store concessions throughout the country, while another 40 are in its production facility at Six Cross Roads on the edge of Waterford.

Healthier Smoker was established two years ago and now employs 300 people. It says its rapid expansion, with demand for its products from countries such as China and the US, means it could have 1,000 people on its payroll by this time next year.

Bottles per week

It has gone from producing 1,000 bottles of e-liquid per week 18 months ago to now producing 50,000 bottles per week. E-liquid is the substance which goes into e-smoking devices. The plant expects to be producing two million bottles per week by autumn, and the need for a bigger plant is anticipated.

Separately, Cork-based Zenith Technologies has said it is to create 30 new jobs for graduates as part of an expansion. The company, which provides automation, process control and manufacturing systems, currently employs more than 400 staff. Half of the new positions will be in Ireland, with the remainder in Germany and Belgium.