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Clothing retailer END. has continued its impressive growth trajectory with a 26% increase in turnover and more than 150 new members of staff, new accounts show.

The company, which is well known for attracting long queues of people outside its Newcastle store when rare pairs of designer trainers are released, has a retail presence in Newcastle, London and Glasgow, but does most of its business online, with facilities in North Tyneside and Washington.

The company has been among the North East’s fastest-growing companies for the last two years, and now accounts for Ashworth and Parker, which trades as END., for the year ending March 31 show that revenue increased from £134.7m a year earlier to £170.5m.

Operating profit went up from £27m to £31.4m, while average staff numbers increased from 464 to 628.

In the accounts, director Christiaan Ashworth says: “END.'s success is underpinned by its long-term approach and the energy our teams put into developing positive, collaborative and lasting relationships.

“Our partnerships with the 500 brands we work with remains one of our highest priorities and we work tirelessly to represent each individual brand in an authentic, high-quality and aspirational way.

“Our loyal and discerning customer base (currently around 3.6m) continues to grow across the world, as does our following on social media. We are proud of the high engagement we have with our social community of more than 2.8m followers, who inspire us and drive us to continually raise the bar.”

Mr Ashworth said that the company’s new store in London and extended premises in Glasgow had performed well, while a move to a new distribution centre in the North East had provided a “step change” in its logistics capabilities, allowing it to bring new products to market quicker. The year also saw the company acquire a property in London for its web and technology team.