Penicuik looking to return to dominant position with Scottish growth

The company - which was bought out of receivership in 2007 and then sold to Cheshire-based MyHouse Group in October - is set to turn over 3 million this year and aims to have sales of 1m-a-month by the end of next year.

Revenue has already risen from 70,000 in October to 392,000 last month and managing director Craig Scott said the firm was on course to make a pre-tax profit of 540,000 in the year to the end of October.

The firm's headcount has grown from nine staff in October to 35 and is expected to reach up to 60 by the end of next year.

Next month, Penicuik will launch its first television adverts since 2002, when the firm's sales had peaked at 20m.

Scott said that although the company was using shared services from its parent group - such as manufacturing, along with back-office functions such as finance and HR - it was still responsible for its own day-to-day operations.

Scott - along with fellow directors Neil Davidson and Neil Clunie - bought Penicuik out of receivership in 2007.

The firm had been turning over about 8m but not generating a profit before falling into the hands of receivers. Although the directors were able to turn a profit following the rescue, the firm was hit by the housing market collapse, with sales falling to 1.1m last year.

They sold the business in October to MyHouse Group, which has a turnover of about 200m but aims to grow sales to 500m by 2015. Clunie and Davidson have now left the business,

Scott said: "I stayed with the business because I love the brand. I think there's a great opportunity for our new kitchens division to take advantage of a gap in the market, between firms like Ikea and high-end suppliers."

The company opened a Glasgow sales office in October and a Dundee office earlier this year. It plans to open an Aberdeen branch earlier next year.