The unseasonably warm summer didn't stop sales growth at Gloucester-based retailer, ProCook. Half year sales figures for the brand were up 25 per cent on the previous year.

While in-store sales have remained stable, sales on both ProCook's own website and Amazon marketplaces increased by a huge 45 per cent on 2017/18.

ProCook has gained significant reach and sales in Europe and is now selling to seven European countries, including very strong growth in France and Germany.

Steve Sanders, CEO of ProCook, said: "Retail remains challenging, but increasingly exciting for multichannel offerings such as ours.

"We have moved forward significantly within e-commerce, with much more to achieve in the remaining six months of 2018/19.

"The first 6 months of this year have been hard work and there is no sign of let-up in the run up to the peak season, but we're not complaining - it's a great position to be in."

ProCook has opened eight new stores in the UK in 2018. The latest openings, and the last of the year, are at Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham and Woodford Park Garden Centre in Stockport, both opening this month.

Steve said: "We're growing ProCook from the ground up and we believe retail stores are vital to that process. Retail brings in a huge proportion of sales for us, offers significant support to our e-commerce channels and helps us maximise our reach as a brand. The latest two stores are in fantastic locations and we're excited to see what they bring to the table in 2019."

Visit https://www.procook.co.uk/