Record showing for furniture firm

A FAMILY-run kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture firm is going from strength to strength.

In all areas of the company, business is blooming - with kitchen sales up by 54% compared to 2009 and more than pounds 900,000 of potential new turnover identified. In addition, Daval is now enjoying its biggest order book in 10 months.The system also allows customers to specify a much wider range of colours, styles and finishes when they select the company's fitted bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.* POSITIVE: Simon Bodsworth, of Slaithwaite-based DavalDaval said it had fitted 100 new dealer displays with a further 40 identified. New product launches are due in the spring - putting the company on course to another record-breaking year. The firmhas more than 150 approved dealers throughout the UK."The sales of our kitchens weren't dipping. In fact, we witnessed a growth of 16% in the sales of our traditional kitchens.CAPTION(S):Simon Bodsworth, business development and marketing manager at Daval, said: "The recession was an incredibly nerve-wracking time for everyone in the industry, but what we saw was incredibly interesting."The general feeling in the industry now is one of positivity again.This has resulted in a carefully managed strategy that allows for individual care for different dealers, including tailored product, service and marketing support. Daval saw great success in the kitchen sector during 2010 - and the growth looks set to continue.Kitchens are now 30% of the total turnover and this is expected to rise to 50% in 2011.Slaithwaite-based Daval has turned in "fantastic" results - despite experiencing one of the toughest recessions to hit the furniture industry."Our dealers have welcomed the custom of many over 60s who are deciding to invest in their homes preferring this to the disappointing return on savings."Overall, the DK63 kitchen, which featured in the Spring Summer Muted Shades Collection, has been our best selling range in 2010 which we are delighted with."As we recuperate from the recession we expect to see seasonal trends back again rather than the flatlined designs we have been used to."

* POSITIVE: Simon Bodsworth, of Slaithwaite-based Daval