Baxters, the Scottish food company, said like-for-like sales of its retail arm rose by an "impressive" 14% during November and December 2007.
Baxters, the Scottish food company, said like-for-like sales of its retail arm rose by an "impressive" 14% during November and December 2007.
For the year, the company said trading by its retail division was up 10% like-for-like.
Baxters Retail is also set to open a £1m Scottish Borders store in Selkirk in mid-April, and currently has another four sites in Scotland under consideration for 2009.
As well as revealing its latest trading figures, Baxters announced the takeover of Fife-based Kathellan Fine Food and Gifts and Restaurant, an award-winning, 13,600 sq ft complex near Kelty, north of Dunfermline.
The store will be leased by Baxters Retail on February 1 from the current owner-operators, Ian MacLellan and Katherine Melton-Scott. Baxters said it will continue to employ Kathellan's 21 staff.
The complex will be known as Baxters at Kathellan and will be redeveloped to include a food hall selling local products, specialist foods and the full Baxters range, a cook shop, gift hall and cafe, in addition to the existing 150-seater restaurant.
The newly-developed site will be similar to Baxters Retail's existing outlets at Fochabers in the Highlands, Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh and Blackford in Perthshire.
The redevelopment of the Fife store will take place during February in a phased programme, with the restaurant remaining open throughout.
Alan Dickson, director of Baxters Retail, said: "The Kathellan complex is an ideal fit for our store portfolio. It's in a fantastic location just off the M90 and is an established business with great food credentials and an existing customer base."
The Baxter group is a family-run business, headed by chief executive Audrey Baxter. Under her leadership, the Speyside-based group expanded overseas.
Last year, Baxters added a Canadian soup company to its foreign assets. The price of the deal was not disclosed but is believed to be around £12m.
