The Edenbridge-based company, which plans to boost its headcount across both its carton and contract packing sites, has already recruited former Chesapeake account manager Damion Berry as sales manager for the north of England and promoted existing manager Graham Westcott to the position of northern sales director.

Alexir moved to its current premises in Kent after the loss of its Crawley factory to a fire in 2010. Just ten weeks after the fire the company was fully operational, which it attributed to a "phenomenal" response from staff and suppliers.

UK sales director Tom Sene said: "To say we had a tough start in 2011 is an understatement after the packaging plant burnt down. However, we are able to achieve record sales thanks to the dedication of our staff and the loyalty of our customers who all stayed with us.

"We have also managed to secure contracts with a number of major brands over the past year and increased our presence in the north of the country with the appointment of Graham, who has been with us a year, and Damion, who started in his new post at the beginning of August.

"We now plan to increase capacity by employing more staff, which will also enable us to reduce our lead times."

Sene added that the company also plans to invest in new kit but would not give any further details.

Alexir Partnership offers a "design to delivery" service and is able to provide design, sourcing, packaging and contract packing solutions inhouse.