North Yorkshire Timber has taken its workforce through the 100 mark and opened its sixth regional sales centre in Darlington.

The timber supplier, which was set up in Northallerton in 1979, has acquired a site at Whessoe Road, Darlington and will open the centre early in the New Year.

The company already has sites at Northallerton, Ripon, Richmond, Middlesbrough and Sunderland and a distribution centre near Catterick. It is going through a targeted expansion programme, which started in 2004.

North Yorkshire timber is now one of the largest independent timber importers and merchants in the North-East.

The new, 9,000 sq ft sales centre in Darlington will initially create four jobs, and will have a door and floor showroom and a large storage yard.

Peter Kershaw, North Yorkshire Timber managing director, said: "The Darlington sales centre will offer the full range of NY Timber products, from construction timber through to hardwood floors and doors. "The new site is part of a concentrated programme of growth across the whole company which we embarked on some 18 months ago." North Yorkshire Timber currently has a turnover of about £11m and employs over 100 people.

It recently moved into a new £1.5m head office and sales centre at Northallerton Business Park.

It supplies to housebuilders, property developers, construction and joinery companies, and also supplies some products to the public.