COSMETICS manufacturer Swallowfields Plc has reported a shift from lossmaking to profitability thanks to a masterplan from its chief executive.

The company, thanks to an employment drive, now employs 320 people at its base in Station Road. The site produces seven-million Imperial Leather “foamburst” shower gels every year.

Major contracts of this kind, tapping into the Chinese and US markets, and the UK’s economic recovery, are all driving the change in the business’s fortunes, said Chris Howe.

He added: “This has been a really important year for us.

We have moved from lossmaking to profitability in 2012/13.

“We have worked very hard on our cost base, have changed our shift pattern so it fits better with demand and we have worked hard to win new customers which include Walgreens and Joico in the US and new business in China.

“We want to build on this and continue to develop sustainable growth.”