Kitchen company serves up 40 jobs

A CO Antrim firm has created 40 jobs in the past year after growing its kitchen manufacturing business. Uform’s expansion has emerged in tandem with a £3million extension of its premises, partly funded by Danske Bank, which has helped it nearly triple its turnover to £23million within four years. The Toomebridge firm specialises in the manufacture and wholesale of kitchen furnishings, importing materials from Italy before customising them for retailers across the UK and Ireland. It currently distributes around 1,000 kitchens a week after a longterm strategy which also involved installing new technology as well as two factory extensions. Managing director Simon Oliphant said plans are in place for a fourth phase of the development. He added: “We have some additional land surrounding our current facility so we will be looking to further extend the factory and improve our distribution centre. “We have also set ourselves a target of reaching a turnover of £34million by 2019.” Danske Bank’s Brian Shane praised the firm, adding: “The latest expansion to the Uform premises is a vote of confidence in the sector and local area by the Donnelly family. The growth of the business in the last four years has been remarkable and shows no signs of slowing down. “The company has set itself very ambitious growth plans for the next two years and we are delighted to be working with them.”