NO LONGER will a prospective bridegroom have to trail down to the local hire shop, usually under sufferance, to try on a range of formal dress for the big day.

Now he can pick his outfit on line and see how it looks on an electronic mannequin.

He can even select his cufflinks and see how the Best Man would look in a kilt.

Etiquette Formal Hire, based at the Waterfoot Business Centre in Rossendale, has launched a revolutionary new website - 'i-do.uk.com' - which takes the stress out of choosing a wedding suit. The site has received nothing but praise from customers and it is anticipated that sales will boom as a result.

It's a long way since the early 1980s when Peter Novak loaned out his own dinner jacket while working in the family's tailor's shop. From those small beginnings, Peter, 43, is now managing director of Etiquette, a multi-million-pound men's formal wear business.

The business was originally formed in 1951 by Joe Novak, a tailor from the Czech Republic, who made suits to sell in his shop in Ramsbottom. On leaving school, his son Peter joined the family shop where he soon branched into hiring formal suits when he realised there was a niche in the market. Now the business has almost four million items in stock and supplies most of the independent formal wear shops, and many of the larger department stores, in the UK.

The company employs more than 200 staff, has an annual turnover of £5million and is growing at a rate of 20 per cent each year.

In 1992 Peter made contact with a Business Link personal business adviser who has continued to offer invaluable support. "Our Business Link adviser has brought us the expertise we would not have otherwise been able to afford or known how to source," says Peter. "The support has taken us from being a small operation, in which I felt I had to have a finger on every part of the business, to the largest wholesale formal wear company in Europe. It has enabled me to adjust my management style and, as a result, we have grown beyond all recognition.

"We have received Business Link help in reorganising our finances and have been instrumental in the whole evolution of the company. After our initial contact with Business Link, our personal business adviser supplied us with a report on all aspects of our business. Although I was hesitant at first, I decided to implement some of the changes that were suggested. These changes alone doubled our profits. I believe that up to 25 per cent of the success of our business today is directly related to the support that they have provided us. I would recommend Business Link to anybody."

Instrumental in the development of the new website is Peter's 19-year-old son, Andy.

After leaving school he joined the family business and has worked in most parts of the company. His experience ranges from working in the retail shop in Rawtenstall - where they now sell women's and menswear - to order picking, marketing, and, more recently, working with the design team on the development of the website. A Business Link grant enabled Etiquette to buy in assistance from web designers, Capricorn Fulton Harris, to aid in the development of its e-business solutions.

Andy said they decided to launch the website to stay ahead of competition and keep abreast of new technological advancements.

"We also wanted to prove to our independent retailers that we want to offer them a superior service," he said

"We have lots of plans to develop the website and aim to provide the best wedding supplies website in Europe, offering the whole package from ordering the wedding car to writing the speech and booking the venue, as well as supplying attire for the whole party.

"Soon our customers will be able to input clients' measurements, which will then display an on-line body build. Formal wear can then be selected and ordered on-line which will automatically produce an order at Etiquette that will then be delivered through our local agents. So far our customers have been delighted by what they have seen on the website. We have designed it to be simple to use and clutter-free which is what they like about it. By 2005, we plan to expand into new markets by opening a warehouse in mainland Europe, so developing e-solutions is going to be pivotal to the future success of the business."

Business Link is a direct route to the full range of advice, resources and support available in East Lancashire to develop your business or business idea. To find out how the services can benefit you FREEPHONE 0800 696 696.