A warm reception for fireplace maker (From The Northern Echo)

A warm reception for fireplace maker

8:45am Thursday 16th December 2010 in North-East Business News

PREMIER League footballers and some of the world’s most luxurious hotels are among the clients that have helped a North-East designer fireplace manufacturer hit record sales and nearly double its workforce.

Newton Aycliffe’s CVO Fire is experiencing rocketing demand from foreign clients for its exclusive products, which include an £8,000 gold-plated model.

Hotel chain Fairmount, which owns the iconic Savoy Hotel, the Crowne Plaza Group and Marriott Hotels, is among the customers to have called on the County Durham firm to enhance its lounges and reception areas.

The company, which designs and produces all of its fires at its factory on Aycliffe Industrial Estate, has experienced a 30 per cent increase in sales compared to this time last year. The opening of a showroom in the South-East, a rise in export sales and the success of its eco-friendly range has underpinned recent successes.

At the start of the year, CVO Fire expanded its European operations following a 25 per cent increase in sales overseas, setting up its first showroom in Germany. In the past three years, the company has increased its European presence by recruiting distributors across Europe and has made inroads into lucrative markets in the Middle East.

In the past year, CVO Fire, which was established in 2007 by managing director Andrew Munro and financial director Christine McLoughlin, has created eight jobs and plans further recruitment in the new year as it launches a range of high-efficiency gas fires to help reduce energy bills for domestic and commercial customers. Its flueless gas fires are said to reduce running costs by about 60 per cent compared to conventional gas fires.

Mr Munro said: “As a business, we are thoroughly committed to excelling in our field and constantly exceeding customer expectations. This has helped us to grow overseas which, in turn, allows us to develop our UK-based operations.

“We knew it was an ambitious task to launch new ranges and open a new showroom in an economic downturn, but the impeccable work of our team has paid off as we have had our most successful year to date.

“We design, produce and manufacture every aspect of our fires at our County Durham headquarters so customers are always guaranteed a British-made quality product, tested to the highest safety standards in Europe.”