LISBURN window blind manufacturer Decora achieved record sales in August and September as online demand for its products soared.
And despite the company putting hundreds of production staff on furlough at the end of March, they were phased in again within five weeks, with virtually everyone back by July.
That's according to directors in a strategic report which accompanies Decora's freshly-filed annual accounts for the 2019 calendar year, during which sales grew by 14 per cent from £72.7 million to £82.8 million.
Pre-tax profits increased by 56 per cent from £4.1m to £6.5m, and on a bottom-line basis, Decora retained a profit of £5.2m.
And during the period, employee numbers at the company's Lisburn headquarters (Decora also has a facility in Birmingham) rose from 792 to 956.
This pushed up its wages bill to £21.1m from £17.8m, and the salary package for its highest-paid director was £235,000.
In their report with the results, the directors said the strong growth of 2019 was suddenly dented early this year when supplies from China slowed down and then all shipments were halted, forcing it to source some raw materials from other locations for a time.
Decora - established in 1979 to sell awnings to the local trade and which currently manufactures more than 30,000 wholesale and bespoke blinds a week for global markets - was forced under the government's directive to close down production altogether on March 23.
A core team of 30 senior managers and staff were retained over a four-week period to reconfigure the factory floor, and as demand for its products increased dramatically, furloughed workers were brought back ahead of many other large manufacturers.
"Product demand continued to be strong, with record sales in August and September, and the major challenge for us now is meeting this high demand," the directors said.
"Lead times have been extended out, but this has not impacted adversely as the industry has seen similar extensions across all competitors.
"The steps taken internally regarding production processes, the new protocols introduced, and the expansion of supply chains means we are well-placed to manage any further disruption," they add.
Decora's parent company is Mzuri Holdings, which in August acquired two online-focused blind companies in England and the Netherlands.
That was its third acquisition since the Business Growth Fund (BGF) bought a £10 million minority stake in the company in April.
Decora, whose founders Michael and Lynda Dickson still sit on the board, specialises in roller, Venetian and vertical blinds, as well as shutters, PVC and contract fabrics.
