BenchmarklyAll benchmarks

Gift shop companies in the Belfast area

233 gift shop companies have a registered office in the Belfast area (BT postcodes), and 31 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £57,143 in cash and owed £66,264 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (not commercial art galleries and opticians)” (SIC 47789). Covers companies with a registered office in BT postcodes, including Belfast, Derry, Londonderry, Lisburn.

The numbers

Gift shop companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureBelfastUK
Registered companies23311,136
Formed in 2025 or 202631 (13%)20%
Being struck off or in liquidation25 (11%)11%
Typical cash at year end£57,14366 accounts£25,063
Typical amount owed at year end£66,264143 accounts£48,463
Typical number of employees2150 accounts2

What this means if you’re starting one

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical gift shop company in the Belfast area (BT postcodes) reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 6 or more (150 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

You will be up against established operators

13% of the 233 gift shop companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes) were formed in 2025–26, against 19% of all companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes).

Few new companies are entering, so your customers will compare you with businesses that have years of reviews and regulars.

Planning a business like this in Belfast?

Answer two questions about your customer and what makes you different, and get a free three-week plan to test the idea before you spend real money. No account or card.

Check my idea

What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Gift shop in other places

Other businesses in Belfast

All business benchmarks in Belfast