June was a fantastic month for Mila UK and we recorded our highest sales figures since October 2008.

At a time when there's so much uncertainty in the economy, it's a real testament to the strength and hard work of the team here that we've been able to outperform the market.

I’ve analysed the figures and it’s difficult to see any real trends emerging in terms of the recovery though – there is no real geographical difference, we performed well in both northern and southern regions, and sales are spread across our product areas.

What is encouraging is how the sales of new products are really increasing and giving a boost to Mila and in turn to our customers.  The ProStyle range in particular which allows window and door hardware to be sold as a coordinated suite to consumers seems to be successfully opening up new market opportunities and the initial positive feedback is translating into firm orders.

I’m optimistic about our ability to continue to increase sales month on month even in a market which will inevitably be affected by the looming public sector cuts and the wobble in consumer confidence which these are causing.

I know it’s a cliché but, throughout the downturn, Mila has been determined to buck the trend and we successfully resisted the urge just to batten down the hatches and ‘get through it’.

Instead, we invested in new products, new people and powerful sales and marketing campaigns and we’ve emerged stronger and certainly more capable of taking advantage of new sales opportunities, as we’re now demonstrating so successfully.

Richard