A DECORATING firm boss has unveiled expansion plans after taking her family company to new heights.

Helen Johnson aims to open a second store after seeing Wear Valley Decorating Centre grow 30 per cent in the last year.

Ms Johnson said the increase was bolstered by shop trade, with earlier and later opening times to accommodate the working hours of full-time decorators and DIY enthusiasts, and contracts with companies keen to refurbish factories, helping its progress.

She is now looking for a second outlet, which could open in the next 18 months.

She told The Northern Echo: “I’m absolutely over the moon with the progress.

“The store was already doing well and my parents had been really successful with it.

“It’s a 30-year-old business, so 30 per cent growth in one year is pretty significant.”

Ms Johnson admits one of her focuses with the firm was to build a website to attract internet trade.

However, she admits old-fashioned values of seeing goods before buying them still holds sway, adding such demand can be a catalyst for a second store.

She said: “People want to touch and feel things and get advice; as much as the website is great for getting my brand out there, people still like faceto- face help.

“I would love to have store number two in the next 18 months and love to have somewhere on a main drag where people are going to start familiarising themselves with the name.

“It is definitely going to be North- East based and if I can do it sooner, I’d love to.”

Ms Johnson took on the company, based in Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, from parents Frank and Susan.

A former Land Rover senior buyer, she is the sister of Sara Davies, founder of Newton Aycliffe’s Crafter’s Companion, and admits the thrill of running a company has been fantastic.

She added: “I’ve never looked back.

“You never get a bigger buzz than this.”