Bingley-based thermalwear manufacturer Damart is poised for significant expansion plans after turning round the loss-making business.

Damart is set to declare group pre-tax profits of around £2 million following the company's £400,000 loss last year.

And it has pledged to create up to 100 jobs and grow the business by a further 20 per cent over the next four years after bucking the trend in the mail order market.

Three years ago the French-owned brand, which also has operations in Steeton, Earby and Bolton, was forced to reassess its position as it faced losses in an increasingly competitive market.

The then new managing director Andy Hill spearheaded changes in working practices and brought in new investment, IT systems and staff training.

"There is a fantastic buzz here at the moment and we want that to continue," said Mr Hill.

"Improved profitability has resulted from investments in our infrastructure, including the upgrade at the mailing centre, which enabled gains in productivity. In addition we have invested in our people, strengthening the management team and boosting training and development and this has also contributed to our improved results. Our next planned major infrastructure investment will be the expansion of the distribution centre at Steeton which will create the platform for

future profitable growth."

Damart, which has 1.5 million customers, employs 680 people at its Bingley head office and its two other West Yorkshire sites along with 120 in hosiery manufacturing in Bolton. Last year its Bingley call centre processed around 3 million orders.

Although the company has built its reputation on thermal clothing, its core market remains women aged 50 plus and the bulk of sales come from women's clothing, footwear and accessories.

The company said it would continue conducting in-depth market research to establish changing customer needs.

"Most of the traditional mail order businesses are feeling the competition from the high street and online fashion sites, but we have a very strong and loyal customer base and our approach is quite simple. We look after our existing customers and put appropriate changes in place to attract new customers, such as moderating our collections slightly for the young at heart, as well as improving our online offer."

Damart is the UK subsidiary of leading European clothing distributor Damartex SA which has its main markets in France, Belgium and the UK.