Export prospects are glowing for Stoke-on-Trent fireplace firm Olde England Reproduction, which has clinched £100,000 of sales in Europe.
The 20-year-old company, based in Normacot Road, designs, manufactures and supplies complete fireplaces. It has 36 employees.
In May last year, OER joined UK Trade & Invest-ment's Passport initiative - the flagship scheme that gives new exporters the training, planning and ongoing support they need to succeed overseas.
It meant the company has benefited from a package of support, including member-ship of the Midlands World Trade Forum, the regional export club.
Director Lynn Brereton said: "We are now exporting to Italy, Spain, Holland and Norway and sales have totalled at least £100,000 in the last six months, with more business coming in all the time.
"The support through Passport has enabled us to make a number of market visits and we found distributors in Spain and Holland as a direct result of two of these visits.
"UK Trade & Investment also carried out an Overseas Market Introduction Service report on the Benelux area for us. This prompted us to consider Holland as a potential market, and within three months we had made sales and created several new designs for Dutch customers."
