A YEAR of investment and efficiency savings produced “excellent” results for DIY firm Taskers.

The retailer said its pre-tax profits were “better than forecast” as they increased by 80%, although they remained quite marginal at £275,000.

A reduction of £43,000 in interest payments made a significant contribution to the £122,000 improvement in pre-tax profits.

Sales for 2009 were down 5% to £18.9m, but operational efficiencies resulted in a 4% reduction in overheads while its gross margin increased from 37.2% to 37.7%.

The shareholders’ fund stood at £6.9m.

Taskers shared its success with its staff, who shared a £100,000 bonus pot after the launch of its partnership scheme.

In accounts filed at Companies House, its directors said: “We continued our expansion into higher quality products and have secured many exclusivity contracts preventing competitors selling the same goods within the Liverpool area.

“We continued our investment in IT infrastructure and software, and the directors are confident that the company is now well- placed to meet the demands of the business for the foreseeable future, along with opening the possibility of enhanced business intelligence and customer information portals.