‘It is a privilege to take on the challenge of growing what dad has built’: Northern Ireland family business marks 40 years with five-fold turnover rise and major showroom investment
Bremar Tiles has acquired an 11,000 sq ft showroom at Kilcronagh Business Park as director Niall Kilpatrick prepares to take the family firm into its next chapter
In the mid-1980s, Brendan Kilpatrick and his wife Mary established family-run Bremar Tiles in Cookstown, importing Italian and Spanish tiles for retail and trade customers across Mid Ulster.
Four decades on, the business is marking its 40th anniversary with a major investment in a new showroom, creating a platform for its next generation.
With loan facilities from Ulster Bank, Bremar Tiles, which employs eight people, has acquired an 11,000 sq ft showroom at the growing Kilcronagh Business Park in Cookstown.
Brendan’s son Niall, now a director of the business, described the move as a defining moment for the family firm: “Reaching our 40th year felt like the right moment to invest in a new, improved showroom, somewhere we can put our energy into for the long term. It is a privilege to take on the challenge of growing what dad has built.”
A father of three and a graduate in Construction, Engineering and Management from Ulster University, Niall joined the family business in 2010. Over the past 16 years, he has worked alongside his father to achieve a five-fold increase in turnover.
Behind this growth lies a continually expanding product range, with the business diversifying into solid wood and laminate flooring as well as luxury vinyl tile (LVT), an increasingly popular choice among customers.
Bremar Tiles imports directly from European factories, with Niall and his team regularly travelling to Italy and Spain to liaise with manufacturers, ensuring the showroom is always stocked with the latest trends. The business caters for every budget, showcasing a wide range of tiles readily available from its own warehouse for quick turnaround, alongside a curated selection of premium tiles that can be imported specifically for individual projects.
Niall attributes much of the business’s success to the family’s focus on unparalleled customer service, working closely with architects, interior designers, property developers and private customers alike to build a loyal and longstanding customer base.
He explained: “We’ve also built a loyal base of tilers and tradespeople who come back to us time and again. It’s not just about good product, it’s the service that keeps them coming back.”
Ulster Bank Business development manager Mary O’Neill said Bremar Tiles has shown great resilience over its 40 years in business: “Here is a proven family business with a solid track record that is ready for its next phase of growth and we at Ulster Bank are really pleased to provide the facilities that will support the Kilpatrick family on that path.
"This investment gives the business a permanent home from which it can continue to serve its trade customers, while simultaneously growing its retail arm to further boost turnover.”
On the topic of online retail, Niall is clear that, in this industry, brick and mortar still reigns supreme: “Online tools and AI are great for ‘shopping the look’, but people still want to look at how the tiles react to different light in their own home, which they can do from the extensive array of samples we have available.
"Buying your tiles from a local store is so important. If you’re on a job the last thing you want is to run out of tiles that were ordered online.”