FURNITURE firm staff will tomorrow fly out for a holiday in the sun paid for by the boss.

John Marshall, chairman of Durham Pine, is spending about £200,000 to give more than 100 employees with at least a year's service and their families a week in Majorca.

Mr Marshall announced the gesture earlier this year as a reward for the company's good performance.

He said: "This is not a publicity stunt. There are no hidden catches, just me saying well done and thank you for such a great year."

The first group of staff from Durham Pine stores will fly from Newcastle International Airport tomorrow and the second group will go next week.

"It's a big thank you from me to my staff for their phenomenal performance over the last year,'' Mr Marshall said.

"It couldn't have been done without their enthusiasm and dedication.

"These are exciting times for the company. It's coming up to 20 years since we started off trading as Durham Pine and we've now got branches the length of the UK.

"Everybody has worked extremely hard to put us where we are now and it's about time they got a little something back.''

Julie Keighley, a personal assistant with the firm, said: "You hear about all these stingy bosses who charge their staff for cups of tea and others who won't even give them a full holiday allowance - and here we are flying off for a week in Majorca thanks to Mr Marshall.

"It's a fantastic gesture which really makes us all feel appreciated for the work that we do.''

Durham Pine, which was founded in Durham and has its head office in Sunderland, is re-launching itself as DP Furniture Express and has already opened new-style branches in Dundee, Hamilton, Sheffield and Rotherham.