KITCHEN equipment group Aga said increasing international demand for its legendary cookers helped it serve up another record performance.

The company said its products now had an established presence outside the UK, with an adapted version of its Rangemaster oven doing particularly well in the US.

This helped pre-tax profits lift 9.7 per cent to £30.6m in the year to December 31, as the lacklustre markets of the previous two years started to improve.

Aga said its US version of the Rangemaster Elan sold well in the growing US cooker market, while demand was also strong for Aga's conventional cooking range.

It said: "We have our heartland and origins in the UK, but we now have an established presence in Europe and North America."

The Aga cooker oven is well-known in the UK for its timeless design, and sales abroad have been increasing in recent years.

The greatest progress last year was by Rangemaster, which saw the number of cookers sold increase by 15 per cent to 60,000.

As well as its retail arm, Aga also fits refrigeration and bakery equipment for companies such as Marks & Spencer and Safeway through its foodservice division.

It said 2004 was a far more encouraging year for the European foodservice arm, with big clients investing more money after a slower two years. This growth included contracts with clients including the new Wembley Stadium and UK pubs.