New jobs and sales boost for Ballyclare cookie company

Ooh & Aah Cookies, which creates personalised letterbox cookies, has announced a 75% increase in sales throughout Ireland and the UK in recent months and the creation of two new jobs.

After a temporary closure at the beginning of lockdown (read more here), the business owned by Barbara-Anne McMullan and Ruth Armstrong reopened in April and has had phenomenal success since with the in-demand cookies selling out every week.

Ruth said: “We have enjoyed steady growth over the last five years, however as a small team with young families, we felt that we had no option than to temporarily close at the beginning of lockdown.

“It didn’t feel like it at the time, but it was actually the best thing we could have done, because until then we were so busy fulfilling orders that we had very little time to consider or plan for the future of Ooh & Aah. We took the five weeks of closure to reflect and put a new strategy in place and this has enabled us to adapt and grow the business.”

The bakery’s unique offering includes 7” and 12” personalised cookie cards, signature stuffed cookies and limited edition cookies with fun flavours including The Snickerbocker Glory, The Lemon Meringue, The Milky Slay and The Jaffa Jookie.

Barbara-Anne said: “Ruth and I were able to use the time to get creative, which is what we both love to do best. We reopened and introduced new products and new flavours and the response has been overwhelming.

“Until March 80% of our orders came through third party websites with fees attached. We changed our business model and now 100% of the orders are made direct through www.oohandaah.co.uk.

“We’ve been able to take all employees off furlough and we now have seven members of staff having just created two new jobs. We have just invested in two new ovens which has enabled us to massively increase the number of orders we can take.”

Ruth added: “Our customers have loved the new offering, it’s a fun gift to receive in the post and we pipe the messages they type – so it’s a fun way to put a smile on the recipients face in what has been a very hard time for us all. 
“We are so proud to be celebrating five years in business and it’s an exciting time for Ooh & Aah Cookies. We’re looking forward to the future and to implementing the plans we have in place for the continued growth.”

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