THE boss of uniforms supplier Internet Workwear has signalled his intention to build the company into a million-pound business following rapid growth.Chris Ashdown, 63, managing director of Great Yarmouth-based Internet Workwear, said the firm had expanded quickly since it was founded seven years ago, with sales currently at more than �500,000 a year.

THE boss of uniforms supplier Internet Workwear has signalled his intention to build the company into a million-pound business following rapid growth.

Chris Ashdown, 63, managing director of Great Yarmouth-based Internet Workwear, said the firm had expanded quickly since it was founded seven years ago, with sales currently at more than �500,000 a year.

The company, started with a �10,000 investment in 2003, supplies garments to hospitals, prisons, schools and surgeries throughout the UK and even recently supplied Buckingham Palace with aprons.

Mr Ashdown, who founded the business after being involved with laying submarine cables across the world, said the career change was “totally the right decision”.

He said: “It was tough at the start but once your name gets around, you start picking up the contracts.

“We are now agents of five of the biggest workwear companies in the UK and we have enjoyed many years of successful growth, often at greater than 25pc per year.

“From an initial and only investment of �10,000 at start-up we have grown to a turnover well exceeding �500,000 and are aiming at �1m within the next two years without recourse to any overdraft facilities, an achievement we are proud of. We also doubled the workforce from four to eight last year and are now looking to take on an apprentice in the next few years.

“It's also a family business, as my wife Sue does the accounts and my son James is general manager.”

The company owns three computerised embroidery machines which put hundreds of company logos onto uniforms each week.

The company offers a free embroidery service for customers and companies wanting to put names on their garments.

Mr Ashdown said: “In the last few years one of the main growth areas in the business has been supplying uniforms for beauticians and therapists. But we've also seen massive growth on the medical side and we sell a massive range of nurses' uniforms.”