FURNITURE retailer Land of Leather showed yesterday it was beating the slowdown in UK spending after a strong sales performance over the past six months.

The group, which has 68 stores across the UK, including in Darlington, Durham and Stockton, said orders from outlets open for a year or more were ahead seven per cent, while business from many of its newer outlets had been better than expected.

The improvement in sales meant Kent-based Land of Leather reported a total order improvement of 30 per cent for the past six months.

The firm does not manufacture its own products and buys about 70 per cent of its goods from the Far East, mainly China. It plans to nearly double its network to 120 stores within six years.