SIMON Howie Butchers has hiked profits by more than £1 million as it increased distribution in England and picked up several high-end restaurant customers.

The company, owned by master butcher turned entrepreneur Simon Howie, reported pre-tax profits of £1.85 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, accounts newly available at Companies House reveal.

The profits rise came as the business, whose branded bacon, sausages, haggis and black pudding are sold in Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury, Lidl, Aldi and the Co-operative Group, lifted turnover to £13.09 million, up from £12m in 2012.

Mr Howie, whose company is this week busy supplying its products to Gleneagles Hotel and scores of outlets on the Perthsire estate during the Ryder Cup, highlighted its growing presence in England as a factor behind last year's growth.

He said: "We've just been working hard at selling to some customers in the south. We have increased our distribution quite dramatically so there's economies of scale [which] come with that.

"We've picked up quite a number of top-end restaurants as well, and also our retail business is working very well."

Revenue at Simon Howie is split 50/50 between retail sales and supplies to restaraurants and the foodservice sector, where clients include the Jamie's Italian chain and privately-owned restaurants in Fife and Edinburgh.

Highlights recorded by the firm last year include the launch of its premium Perthshire products in supermarkets, which Mr Howie said has helped its sales cause in England. With 10 per cent of the firm's sales generated south of the Border, he sees big potential to grow in the market.

He said: "The export opportunities into England are huge on the basis of a population of ten times the number of people.

"It's a big market for us down there as well."

Other developments during 2013 included a factory extension, which boosted the effieciency of its operations. It also launched a new e-commerce facility, which Mr Howie stressed the business was still "finding its feet" with. The accounts show that dividends totalling £1.4 million were paid to shareholders during the year. The latest annual return for Simon Howie Butchers shows its majority shareholder is Findony, whose sole shareholder is Mr Howie.

Staff numbers at Simon Howie rose to 107 from 102.