Becoming a one-stop shop has paid dividends for Keighley firm Peter Black.

For the group, which has marketed and manufactured a wide range of household goods since 1948, also has a growing distribution company which is a big part of the firm's operation in the town.

The Peter Black group's range includes footwear, bags, toiletries, cosmetics and healthcare products - many of which are sold to national chains including Marks & Spencer, Next and Superdrug.

The group has developed into a one-stop shop in the last few years by sourcing goods from around the globe, manufacturing products itself, marketing its range of goods and distributing them - making life easier for the retailers it serves.

Chairman Gordon Black said: "We believe in understanding the retailer's marketing vision, in-store merchandising objectives, promotional plans and supply-chain policies to give them the best service we can."

The firm uses state-of-the-art computer equipment to put it at the forefront of the UK's distribution businesses.

Peter Black has always carried out its own distribution. But in 1990 distribution became a business in its own right and in 1993 turned into a division of the group and now has main bases in Keighley and Leicester.

By 1993 the division's turnover outside the group was around £4 million. Last week in the group's year-end report, this figure had more than doubled to £8.5 million.

The distribution company's workforce varies because of seasonal work but employs between 175 and 350 people in Keighley.

Chris Kershaw, Peter Black group's company secretary, said: "The key to the distribution company's success is the way in which we can tailor our service to the requirements of our customers as opposed to them being presented with a pre-packaged solution."

The firm calls itself Total Distribution from Peter Black because it prides itself on offering a total solution for its customers.

The firm offers a tailor-made package which is supported by a computer operation which allows the customer to follow its goods from the factory gate to the retail store.

It uses an EDI system which is short for Electronic Data Interchange and allows a retail chain to place an order electronically and for the orders to be confirmed and invoiced without anyone touching a piece of paper.

The firm offers international freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, pre-retail processing, label printing and transport and companies using PBD can use the total package or parts of it.

The division, headed by managing director Harry Johnson, says it aims to take the worry out of every stage of distribution.

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