Crawley-based lighter company Ronson has reported a profit for the first time in five years.

The company said general concerns about the recession had not impacted on its business.

Turnover for the six months to June 30 was up by 19 per cent at £4.2 million and profit stood at £51,000.

The company made a loss of more than £1.5 million for the same period last year.

The executive team of John Graham and Pam Hulme introduced a range of initiatives that have had a positive impact on the company's position.

Trading in the UK was up by six per cent and in Europe there was an 85 per cent improvement.

Ronson will be supplying all Tesco stores in the UK from next month. This will involve supplying an estimated four million lighters, making the firm the No.1 supplier to Tesco.

In addition, it has established trading relationships with Sainsbury and Somerfield.

The Russian market for Ronson lighters has grown in the past year and looks set to boom with distribution into all retailers selling cigarettes anticipated by the end of next year and up to 11,000 outlets in Moscow alone.

Managing director Mr Graham said: "We are pleased with the growth in turnover but we do not under-estimate the task ahead.

"There is still a very difficult job to do in recruiting new trading partners of the right calibre and financial strength.

"With no innovation in this category for 25 years, Ronson is clearly sparking interest and creating demand through its quality design-led products."

The last time the company made a profit was in 1996 when the share price stood at 69p. The latest price is 0.9p.