Northern Ireland has 81,660 registered businesses. Wholesale is 4.2% of them, the third-highest share of any UK nation or region, and the motor trade 3.9%. Professional services, at 6.9%, are the lowest share of any UK nation or region.
We do not have an office, staff or events in Northern Ireland. We work with businesses here remotely.
The local business mix
A wholesale-heavy economy is the closest match to the business our Linnworks tools came from. One thing is different here: moving goods between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU has its own rules. We don’t restate them, because they change. gov.uk keeps the current guidance in one place.
| Sector | Businesses | Share | UK | vs UK · rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All businesses | 81,660 | 100% | — | 11 of 12 by count |
| Fewer than 10 staff | 73,210 | 89.7% | 89.1% | |
| Construction and specialist trades | 11,780 | 14.4% | 14.1% | about the same · 6 of 12 |
| Cleaning, facilities and landscaping | 1,080 | 1.3% | 2.0% | below · 12 of 12 |
| Wholesale | 3,415 | 4.2% | 3.6% | above · 3 of 12 |
| Retail | 6,135 | 7.5% | 7.7% | about the same · 8 of 12 |
| Motor trade and repair | 3,165 | 3.9% | 3.0% | above · 4 of 12 |
| Hotels, pubs, cafés and restaurants | 4,480 | 5.5% | 6.5% | below · 9 of 12 |
| Professional services (legal, accounting, consultancy, architects, marketing) | 5,630 | 6.9% | 12.3% | below · 12 of 12 |
| Software and IT services | 1,485 | 1.8% | 4.4% | below · 12 of 12 |
Source: ONS UK Business Counts 2026, via Nomis, March 2026. About these figures.
What fits here, and why
Ordered by how many local businesses each is likely to suit.
3,415 wholesalers in Northern Ireland. If your trade orders go into Linnworks, start here.
Find out more →Per-customer wholesale pricing, synced to Linnworks.
Find out more →For the 3,165 motor-trade businesses and the trades, if estimates go out from Xero or QuickBooks.
Find out more →For the 11,780 construction and trade businesses.
Find out more →No. Grafto is run from Suffolk, where Green & Home Ltd has its warehouse in Mildenhall (registered office: Hertford). We work with businesses in Northern Ireland remotely: the AI Tools Report, the apps and support are all online or by email. Our only in-person events are in Bury St Edmunds.
It depends on what you do, but on the local mix we would usually start with Trade Order POS by Grafto. Trade counter, phone and field orders taken in seconds and sent straight into Linnworks. Live now.
From the Office for National Statistics’ UK Business Counts for 2026, published through Nomis. They count 81,660 enterprises registered for VAT and/or PAYE in Northern Ireland, so very small unregistered sole traders are not included.
Nearby
Neighbouring: Scotland. Or see everywhere we work.
Ten minutes of questions, then a costed plan for your business, wherever in the UK it is. £59.99 inc VAT.
Get my AI Tools Report →Questions first? Email hello@grafto.co.uk.