£2m investment as BLK BOX expands

Belfast-headquartered BLK BOX is creating 16 new jobs and investing almost £2million in expanding its manufacturing capabilities to meet growing demand for its products and services it is announced today (Tuesday).
Greg Bradley, CEO of BLK BOX, pictured with John Hood, Invest NIGreg Bradley, CEO of BLK BOX, pictured with John Hood, Invest NI
Greg Bradley, CEO of BLK BOX, pictured with John Hood, Invest NI

BLK BOX is one of the leading manufacturers of strength and conditioning equipment in Europe.

Founded eight years ago by entrepreneur Greg Bradley, BLK BOX is headquartered in Titanic Quarter where it currently employs over 60 people in a manufacturing, distribution, and office facility.

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The investment, which is supported by Invest Northern Ireland, will see the company install new laser cutting equipment and a state-of-the-art paint line.

The new jobs, which will bring the company’s headcount to over 75 people in Northern Ireland, will have average salaries of around £25,000.

Roles being recruited for include Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing and Warehouse Operatives.

Greg Bradley, CEO of BLK BOX, says that the firm has experienced ongoing high demand from elite performance athletes and teams, as well as a significant increase in ecommerce sales for the home gym market.

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“We work with elite athletes in many different sporting arenas, from Jonathan Rea to Irish Rugby, Premier League footballers, and sports teams internationally. This will continue to be a priority area for BLK BOX,” he explained.

“We’re also seeing very strong demand for home gym equipment.

“We see significant opportunity to develop this side of the business further and grow our online sales.

“To facilitate this demand, we’re investing in our manufacturing process and infrastructure to maximise our production and distribution capabilities as we respond to changing consumer behaviours in the fitness industry.

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“We are grateful for the support of Invest NI and look forward to continuing to work closely with the team there as we seek to continue to grow and create further employment in Northern Ireland.”

Highlighting the importance of the investment to the local economy, John Hood, Invest NI’s Multi Sector Director, added: “This is a significant investment by BLK BOX and one which will assist the company to move into the crucial next stage of its growth strategy.

“We’ve worked with the company for a number of years, initially ensuring it had access to business finance through our Access to Finance Portfolio and we’re pleased to continue this support to help it scale its operations and create 16 new jobs.

“It’s investments such as these which are critical to Northern Ireland’s economic recovery.

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“The new staff combined with our support for new equipment will help BLK BOX to capitalise on current and future opportunities, develop new products and ultimately increase exports.”

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