Only way is up, says Nevisport owner as firm climbs its way out of the red

JACOBS & Turner, the Glasgow-based outdoor clothing empire behind Trespass and Nevisport, is eyeing further expansion after a recovery in its fortunes last year.

After three years of falling profits, the company, headed by brothers Afzal and Akmal Khushi, saw profits edge up on the back of an 18 per cent rise in sales.

The company is in the midst of opening 20 new stores, an expansion programme it said had become "more attractive" due to weaker commercial property costs as others on the high street struggle.

The brothers have also restored profitability at Nevisport, the Fort William-based outdoor sports chain it bought out of liquidation in 2007. Although a figure for the purchase was not disclosed at the time, the accounts for Jacobs & Turner show a sum paid of just over 1 million.

Nevisport made a profit of 25,323 last year, compared with a loss of 123,965 the previous year.

"Following new shop openings, as well as returning supplier and customer confidence, the business (Nevisport] is now expected to move to the next level of its restoration," said the directors' report in the accounts.

Overall sales rose to 47m from 39.7m at the enlarged group in the year to 30 June, 2009, with pre-tax profits increasing to 2.3m from 2.1m, a performance the directors said had been "extremely encouraging against the backdrop of recession".

The company said it had benefited from better foreign exchange positioning, improved cost control and a new IT system that was driving efficiencies. The increasing size of the group was also improving purchasing power with suppliers.

The directors said they were upbeat about future trading prospects.

"With the economy starting to assume a positive direction, the continued financial strength of the group and the increased number of shops, the directors are satisfied that the group will continue to advance," they said.

Trespass currently operates 61 stores in the UK with a further 13 trading under the Nevisport brand.

The group also operates almost 30 outlets overseas, including in European ski resorts, Dubai, Israel and Colorado in the United States.

The publicity-shy Khushi brothers are worth an estimated 58m, according to the latest Rich List for Scotland, although the figure is well down on the 100m-plus figure they commanded several years ago when the business saw annual profits reach more than 11m.

Their father Mohammad, who died three years ago, bought the original Jacobs & Turner workwear business for 1,000 in 1966. His sons joined the business in 1977. They received a total of 220,020 in pay last year, slightly less than in 2008.