HOME improvement chain Wickes said it was continuing to reap the rewards of a major shake-up.

The firm, which recently opened a major new store in Blackburn, said sales were up 14.7 per at stores which have been through a facelift programme, well ahead of the group's total sales growth rate of 6.2 per cent.

And it reported profits for 1999, excluding the costs of the stores overhaul, were up by almost a fifth.

As part of its five-year renewal programme, Wickes refurbished 32 of its stores in 1999. In all 51 of Wickes 131 stores have now been revamped.

The revamp programme is combined with an upgrade of the company's distribution system.

Wickes' pre-tax profits for the year to December 31 were £23.1 million compared with £24.9 million in 1998.

But operating profits, which exclude the cost of the stores upgrades, were £31.7 million - up 19 per cent on the previous year.

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