Carpet firm is on a roll

In an upbeat trading statement the group, which employs around 280 people in the town, said profits for the year would "comfortably exceed" current market expectations.

So pre-tax profits for the 12 months to March 21 – due to be announced on June 20 – are set to be well ahead of the forecast of £2.4 million.

Allan Bullock, group managing director (pictured), said: "Through a combination of product innovation, customer service and the ongoing drive for business improvement the group has performed ahead of management expectations.

"During 2006 the group launched a number of new innovative products which, when added to our core ranges has created one of the strongest-ever product portfolios. All of these products have been well-received by our customers."

The statement came against difficult trading conditions on the high street – Carpetright came out with figures last week which showed that in the last 10 weeks trading business was down 5.7 per cent compared with the previous year.

"We are doing better than most, and taking market share from our competitors. The improvement is across the group, here in Kidderminster, in our Irish companies and in Australia.

"This is good news for all our stakeholders in the business – shareholders and employees. We are continuing to invest heavily in new products, which are our lifeblood. We try to get the best product range into the market that we possibly can, taking advantage of modern technology, and making our carpets in the most cost-effective way there is," he added.