AN e-commerce expert has increased a builders hardware company's sales by 2,000 per cent.

Craig Taylor, managing director of Copycatweb, combined his marketing and IT design skills to produce a new website for UK Hardware Direct, Clayton-le-Moors.

The website featuring a "virtual" salesman named Ted, helped sales rocket from £500 a month to more than £10,000 a month. Copycatweb, also based in Clayton-le-Moors, was launched seven years ago by engineering graduate Mr Taylor.