East Anglian infection prevention and hygiene products company Tristel is to launch a subsidiary in Berlin to build on its growing sales success in a number of key sectors of the German health market.

Tristel, which is based at Snailwell, near Newmarket, has had a branch in Berlin since 2010 and now plans to upgrade the operation to limited liability company (GmbH) status.

The branch, which sells the company’s full range of wipes and foams for use in decontamination and infection control, has already grown from a single employee to a current sales force of eight and in the company’s last full financial year, to June 30, 2015, generated sales of £1.4million.

Tristel said the branch had made “significant progress” in sectors of the German hospital market including ear, nose and throat, cardiology, urology and ultrasound, now counting 80% of Germany’s university hospitals among its customers.

In the past two years, the branch had also successfully taken responsibility for developing the Swiss and Austrian markets and the territory of the new branch would be extended further into central Europe.

Tristel chief executive Paul Swinney said: “We are very pleased with the platform that we have built in Germany. The progress that we have made in Europe’s largest hospital market is evident in the fact that Germany’s contribution to group worldwide sales is now approaching 10%. However, there is still enormous potential to exploit if the level of our German sales is to match the United Kingdom’s.

“It is, therefore, an appropriate moment for us to upgrade the status of the branch and also extend its sphere of responsibility. Whilst we have some limited activity in Poland we have no representation or sales in Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Slovenia or the Ukraine.

“The Berlin team will now use their linguistic and cultural ties, and physical proximity, to develop the wider central European market whilst continuing to grow domestic German sales.”

He added: “This latest initiative is another step toward our objective of establishing Tristel as a leading player in the global infection control market.”

In a trading update last month, Tristel said it remained on track for a sixth successive period of year-on-year profits growth, with profits for the six months to December 31 expected to be up by more than a quarter on the same priod a year earlier. The interim results are due to be announced on February 24.