Dunelm Mill the specialist out-of-town homewares retailer has this week published results for the 26 weeks up to the end of last year.
The firm had total sales of £201.8m up from £197.4m in 2007 and a total growth of 2.3%.

However, like-for-like (lfl) sales growth fell by 5.6%, as the company continued an ambitious expansion scheme.

The company, which is 30 years old this year, is growing with new outlets in Huddersfield, Newtownabbey and Plymouth giving them a total portfolio of 79.

Dunelm Mill has also committed to a medium term target of at least 150 superstores.

The firm's chief executive, Will Adderley, said: "The last few months have been a period of huge turbulence in many retail markets and homewares has been no exception.

"We have seen a number of competitors exit the market as a result. In this context I believe that Dunelm's performance has been very solid.

"We have not resorted to unplanned promotional activity as a tactic to buy sales and instead have continued to offer our
customers everyday fair prices.

"We have therefore preserved our margins and we believe that this, together with our exceptionally strong balance sheet, puts us in very robust shape to ride out the storm and to profit from the opportunities which it will inevitably throw up."