Technically you can run one main store plus nine expansion stores on Plus. Operationally, most brands should run far fewer. For the US, UK, EU and AU, start with Markets inside one store, and split a region into its own expansion store only when it needs its own catalog, P&L, legal entity or payment setup that Markets cannot support.
Markets supports up to 50 markets in a single store, so four regions fit comfortably. The cost of extra stores is not the licence. It is the duplicated themes, apps, integrations and content that every additional store brings. Our Shopify Plus development agency team plans these architectures.
What Plus includes and what extra stores cost
The limits are generous. The upkeep is what makes the decision.
| Item | Detail |
| Included stores | One main store plus nine expansion stores |
| Extra expansion stores | About $300 a month each |
| Markets | Up to 50 markets in a single store |
| Contract scope | One brand per contract |
Markets or expansion stores
Most of the difference comes down to what you want to share and what must stay separate.
| Factor | Markets in one store | Expansion stores |
| Catalog | Shared, with include and exclude rules and price adjustments | Fully independent assortment and pricing |
| Theme and releases | One codebase and coordinated releases | Separate themes and release windows |
| Apps and integrations | One set to license and maintain | Separate licences, credentials and connectors per store |
| Payments and legal entity | Most gateways attach to the primary entity | Local settlement and entities are possible |
| Reporting | One place for orders and customers | Data spread across stores |
| Content and SEO | One content set, managed together | Duplicated content, sitemaps and hreflang audits |
The operational cost of each extra store
These costs repeat for every store you add.
- Its own theme and QA cycle.
- Its own set of apps and licences.
- Separate integration credentials and webhooks.
- Duplicated promotions, content and domain upkeep.
- Separate permissions, training and support load.
- One illustrative model puts three expansion stores at about £137,000 a year in duplicated apps, connectors and release work.
Which of your four regions should be what
Start shared, then split only where the business case is clear.
| Region | Recommended setup | Why |
| US | Main store | Hub for catalog, theme and apps |
| UK | Market | Shared catalog with local currency and UK VAT settings |
| EU | Market, grouped | One catalog with local pricing, using OSS support for VAT |
| AU | Market by default, expansion store only if needed | Split if it has its own entity, assortment or payment setup |
- One store with four markets, one theme and one app stack.
- AU moves to its own expansion store only if it needs a separate P&L, catalog or entity.
- Add stores for distinct businesses, not for convenience.
- Review the split yearly, as cross-border revenue and local needs change.
Multi-region builds
Localized storefronts across multiple European markets, with Shopify Markets handling regional pricing, tax and localized catalogs, and custom apps connecting Plus to Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Read more: our Screwfix Shopify Plus case study
Markets support USD, GBP and EUR, with region-specific catalogs for UK and EU VAT and Shopify’s OSS functionality for VAT compliance.
Read more: our Easilocks Shopify Plus case study
Tell us your regions, entities, catalogs and payment setups, and our Shopify Plus development agency team will recommend which regions share a store and which need their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
One main store plus nine expansion stores are included, and more can be added at an extra monthly cost.
Up to 50 markets in a single store, each with its own pricing, currency and language settings.
When a region needs its own P&L, a materially different catalog, a local legal entity or payment setup that Markets cannot support, or isolated data and release cycles.
Each store needs its own theme, apps, integrations and content, plus duplicated QA, promotions and support. See how we handled this for Screwfix across European storefronts.
Yes, though splitting adds migration work. Plan catalog and data structures so a region can move out cleanly.
