A Suffolk based steel stock holder which supplies customers across southern and eastern England has reported record annual sales.

AJN Steelstock, based at Kentford, near Newmarket, has increased its steel sales by nearly 20% over the past year, helping annual turnover to top £50million for the first time.

Besides offering a comprehensive range of steel products – it normally holds more than 15,000 tonnes in stock at any one time – AJN also provides in-house sawing, shot-blast and painting facilities, and a state-of-the-art CNC drilling line.

Financial director Courtney Bell said: “Our success is due in no small measure to the commitment we make to our customers.

“We are known for the reliability of the service we offer and for the outstanding levels of customer service we provide.”

At present, AJN principally supplies customers across East Anglia, the Home Counties, the East Midlands and London but is also working to expand its customer base further afield.

With consecutve monthly sales records having put pressure on its existing site facilities, AJN launched a search for an additional location and earlier this year completed the purchase of a 17-acre site at Henstridge in Somerset.

This site, which has previously been used for steel stock, is due to open in the autumn, helping the company to expand its reach into the West Country, the West Midlands and Wales.

The new site will initially create around 100 new jobs, taking the company-wide total to around 250, with further recruitment planned at both locations.