Bradford bathroom and kitchen firm Spring Ram has made its healthiest half-year profit in years - despite a substantial fall in turnover.

The company, which is being turned around by chairman Roger Regan, today announced a £3.3 million pre-tax profit compared with £500,000 at the same time last year.

The firm suffered from poor sales in the last quarter of the year which lopped £21 million off its projected turnover figure. This left the actual turnover at £202.6 million compared with £232.5 million previously.

The group has trimmed £6 million from its budgets in the course of the year to help turn the firm round.

And Mr Regan, who took over eight years ago, said profits at the firm's year-end should also be better than for some time so long as things stayed as they were or improved.

The firm, which employs 2,400 staff around the UK, has 700 workers at its businesses on the city's Euroway Estate where it has located its head office.

Mr Regan added: "We invested in a new £500,000 kiln at our sanitaryware factory on the Euroway and all our businesses in Bradford are running at a profit."

The firm has made a small number of people redundant in the year but aims to keep on track for better trading ahead.

The company has invested heavily in the past 12 months, including introducing new Year 2000-compliant computer equipment throughout the group which has divisions in Birstall, Nottingham, Scunthorpe and Stoke-on-Trent.

Mr Regan added: "The prospects for the group during 1999 and beyond remain dependent upon fickle market conditions. Due to management actions on cost, we expect the group to make progress this year - even if the market remains as poor as it has been in 1998."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.