Northern Ireland Shopify Success Stories: 5 Brands That Sailed Past £1 Million

Shop-tracking platform Store Leads lists nearly 4,000 Shopify storefronts based in Northern Ireland (May 2025). But only a small group have pushed past the £1 million revenue mark. We’ve pulled insights from five leaders — and shown the exact plays that scaled their stores.

Why Northern Irish Shopify Stores Scale Faster

• Warehouse & labour costs: 15–20% lower than UK averages (Indeed).
• Invest NI Digital Grant: covers up to 40% of eligible digital project spend.
• Dual GB/EU shipping: one stock pool, two markets, zero borders.

Explore our Shopify services or join the growth-partner programme.

1. Kukoon Rugs

Based in Newry, Kukoon has grown from a local eBay rug seller into one of the UK’s biggest online flooring retailers. Since founder Brendan McDowell appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2017 and turned down an €80K investment, Kukoon has scaled to 8,000 rugs shipped weekly across 60 countries. With £16.5m sales in 2024, they're projecting £20m next year — and planning to open physical stores through retail partnerships.

Snapshot

• £16.5m turnover (Newsletter.co.uk, 2024) — Source
• 8,000 rugs shipped weekly to 60 countries

Revenue Drivers

• SEO-led washable rug hub that dominates care-query traffic.
• 6,000+ Yotpo photo reviews build buyer trust at scale.
• Mobile-first page speed keeps bounce rate low on budget phones.

Quick win: their 90-day return policy lifts conversions on bulky items.

2. BPerfect Cosmetics

Founded in Belfast, BPerfect scaled through aggressive influencer marketing and TikTok Live drops. Their Newry flagship was recently relaunched with a fresh retail concept. The site stays lean, fast, and tuned for conversion — often selling out product drops in under an hour.

Snapshot

• £26.5m turnover (FY 2024 — estimate)
• £1m palette drop sold out in 60 minutes on TikTok Live

Revenue Drivers

• Weekly TikTok Live shopping converts real-time viewers.
• Click-and-collect POS outperforms online-only sessions.
• 100 KB max launch pages load fast during surges.

Quick win: use 1-hour promo codes to push urgency on livestreams.

3. BLK BOX Fitness

From Belfast to gyms across the globe, BLK BOX supplies custom rigs and gym equipment to both home users and commercial chains. Their Shopify store does the heavy lifting with freight quoting, education-led content, and high-converting B2B tools.

Snapshot

• £12.6m turnover (FY 2023 — internal estimate)
• 500+ PureGym sites supplied globally

Revenue Drivers

• How-to guides appear in Google’s AI answer cards.
• Factory-floor videos earn high-authority backlinks.
• Freight-at-checkout reduces dropoff by 9 points.

Quick win: allow floor plan uploads to shorten quote time.

4. Total Hockey

Total Hockey, based in Banbridge, recently invested a seven-figure sum to double their warehouse capacity — a response to online orders tripling since acquiring Gilmour Sports in 2017. The site’s international UX and clear duties at checkout support global growth.

Snapshot

• £15.4m revenue (Growjo estimate)
• Online sales trebled since 2017 acquisition (Belfast Telegraph)

Revenue Drivers

• FAQ-rich PDPs rank for long-tail terms like “goalkeeper kit UK”.
• Duty-paid checkout removes border shock.
• Stick-Match quiz raises ATC by 20% (A/B tested).

Quick win: show “Only 5 left today” to add urgency without discounts.

5. Shnuggle Baby

Shnuggle turned a single baby bath into a global brand. The secret? Simplicity. Shopify Markets Pro for pricing. International gifting. Bundle logic. Lean code. Every detail serves global DTC at scale.

Snapshot

• Multi-million pound revenue across global DTC and trade channels
• One bath sold every 2.5 minutes globally

Revenue Drivers

• Bath bundle kit makes up ~50% of category sales.
• Markets Pro quadrupled export volume in 3 years.
• Gift-wrapping added to 14% of carts.

Quick win: remove friction for gifting — buyers reward it.

5 NI Growth Plays You Can Steal

1. Fast sites convert: compress images, defer scripts.
2. Short, structured FAQs feed Google AI.
3. Bundles lift profit more than discounting.
4. Real reviews and video build trust faster than ads.
5. Duty-paid checkout + an NI story = global growth.

NI Shopify FAQ

How many Shopify stores are based in NI?

Roughly 3,968 as of May 2025 (source: Store Leads).

Is Invest NI’s 40% grant still available?

Yes — the Digital Ops Grant covers up to £50k in matched spend.

How much does a proper Shopify store cost?

Our projects start at £7,500 and take 8–12 weeks to launch.

Three NI Shopify Brands to Watch

• Pia Rossini — exports accessories to 60+ countries
• Born & Bred — owns “Belfast gifts” SERP and drives high-volume tourist footfall
• Lines & Current — minimalist jewellery brand with strong DTC growth and a loyal female following

Let’s Build Your Store Next

Invisible Building helps Shopify brands grow with faster stores, better UX and more strategic builds. Want in?

Book a free strategy call