ACCRINGTON'S longest established family business has been given a £1million makeover.

Taskers furniture store based at Queen Mill, Queens Road, has been completely refurbished and transformed into a one-level showroom.

The 30,000 square feet display is a far cry from the original weaving mill opened in 1913, which was converted to a furniture store by the family in 1965.

The family began trading in 1896 and have had three different sites within a half mile radius of Queen Mill before eventually moving there.

Managing director Robert Tasker said: "For the first time in our history we closed down our business for a total of six weeks to carry out this exciting major development.

"It is a statement of our continued commitment to the town and, while providing an even better service for our existing loyal customers, we intend to expand our customer base over a much wider area."

The store has also expanded its workforce by more than 40 per cent in recent months.