A BRISTOL firm which has managed to buck the current economic trend is moving into a new headquarters as part of its expansion plans.

Bristol Batteries, which is run by husband and wife team Jacqualine and Graham Bultitude, has moved to a new head office in Albert Road near the city centre.

The couple set up the company nearly 40 years ago and decided the time was right to move because they had grown out of their offices near Newfoundland Street.

As well as selling to the car trade the firm also specialises in selling batteries for firms that need emergency backup for systems in case of power failure.

Mr Bultitude said: "This is the fourth recession we have been through as a company and probably it has been the worse but to be honest we tend to do quite well out of recessions.

"We are a small company but we offer very competitive prices, we are probably one of the cheapest on the market. With most companies looking to tighten their belts and cut down on prices they tend to come to people like us."

The firm has expanded in recent years and now has offices in Devon, Exeter, Plymouth and Swindon.

Mr Bultitude said: "We will be looking to expand again but it is a case of when opportunities become available. We simply ran out of space in the building we were in for storage of our products."

Bristol Batteries began its operations in Backfields in 1972 before moving to Newfoundland Road in the city centre.

The new office and warehouse space is twice the size of its previous location, allowing it to meet increased demand for its wide range of batteries for both domestic and commercial use.

Mrs Bultitude said: "This is an exciting milestone for our company and builds on the success we've had for almost 40 years in business.

"This development cements our position as the top battery provider in the South West and we're especially proud to boost our presence in our home city where it all began."

Bristol Batteries has seen growth of more than eight per cent year-on-year and has around 5,000 commercial clients, covering a wide range of users from architects and project managers to Government departments.