BED and cabinet furniture maker Silentnight today announced a big leap in profits. The Salterforth-based company saw pre-tax profits jump by 29 per cent in the last 12 months to £14.3 million.

The firm's beds division did particularly well, with operating profits up 45 per cent.

Chief executive Bill Simpson said: "It is the group's continued aim to maintain its strong position in the UK bed market, to improve its share of the UK cabinet market and its bed business in North America."

He added: "We have started well in 1997 and early targets are being achieved.

"We expect a more normal rate of sales growth in the bed market this year while we have planned for further growth in our cabinet business and the capacity is now in place to achieve this.

"Our foreign businesses are soundly based and in a position to make a growing contribution to profit. We expect these factors to produce further improvements in this financial year."

Silentnight was originally founded 50 years ago by Tom and Joan Clarke in a small shop in Skipton, using Tom's £180 war gratuity. As Clarke's Mattresses it moved to Barnoldswick in 1949 and two years later the company was renamed Silentnight.

Since then it has grown to employ around 4,000 worldwide and has an annual turnover of more than £200 million. The group has five bed manufacturing businesses in the UK trading as Sealy, Perfecta, Layezee, Pocket Spring Beds and Silentnight Beds.

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