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BBL Group opens Portadown office

[ May 13, 2026   //   ]

BBL Group is putting its money where its mouth is with its new office in Portadown, encouraging other companies to set up in the region and take advantages of Northern Ireland’s unique dual market access.

BBL Logistics Ireland & UK managing director Jamie O’Reilly and co-director Andrew Fox say that they are targeting other companies with a “growth mindset” keen to take advantage of the fact that Northern Ireland is at once part of the United Kingdom but also part of the EU Single Market customs union.

The company has invested some £600,000 in its new Portadown office.

Groupe BBL aims to offer its expertise in VAT and customs to allow companies to successfully access both markets. It can also help firms devise logistics strategies to reach their customers, O’Reilly pointing out that freight rates from Northern Ireland to GB are often surprisingly competitive, in many cases lower than equivalent length journeys within mainland Britain, while ships and trucking services across the Irish Sea are “like buses” in their frequency.

In the past, manufacturers have successfully operated hub-and-spoke logistics models from the island of Ireland. It was home to a thriving assembly industry during the personal computer boom of the 1980s and 1990s, and there is no reason why the model could not be replicated in other sectors in Northern Ireland, such as pharma, they consider.

The company’s thinking, O’Reilly explains, is that “other companies will be attracted when they see that we’re here.” Their target customs included GB-based firms, businesses based in the northern part of the Irish Republic and multinational firms seeking access to both the UK and EU markets. Sectors include pharma, food, textiles and chemicals, among others.

In its first phase of growth, BBL is recruiting a ten-strong team, of whom the first five members have already been appointed. One of the reasons for locating in Portadown was the availability of local talent, along with ample office space and a good local road network, O’Reilly stated. The town is only 20 miles from the Northern Ireland/Ireland border and is something of a “centre of gravity” for customs expertise. It is also Northern Ireland’s largest centre of population outside Belfast, being close to Craigavon New Town as well as the M1 motorway.

The company is currently in the process of recruiting its remaining team members, both sales and customs agents.

O’Reilly says: “We’re looking for people who, firstly, have a growth mindset, which has been the foundation of our success. If you have customs experience, great, but it not we can help you get it through training either through BIFA or in-house.”

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