B&M Bargains has reinforced its rise to number five in The Grocer's Top 50 Independents list by announcing record turnover and profits.

Owner B&M Retail has filed bumper figures with Companies House following its expansion from 89 stores to 149, many of them former Woolworths sites.

The discounter which sells everything from soft drinks and confectionery to home furnishings and electricals recorded pre-tax profits of £33.8m for the year to December, up from £14.2m. Turnover rose 166% to £426.6m, from £255.8m.

Best known for their bright orange and blue sunburst fascias, the company-owned stores can now be found "from Hemel Hempstead to Dundee", said operations director Adam Colledge.

He claimed customer confidence had grown in the B&M Bargains brand as it evolved from a regional player to a national chain.

"We don't spend money on advertising, which is unusual for a retailer of our size," said Colledge. "We rely on word of mouth and the hard work of our 5,000 colleagues across the UK, and continue to build on footfall numbers in challenging times.

"Our value for money is persuading shoppers to vote with their feet. We are now achieving 1.5 million shopper visits every week."

The Blackpool-based business, owned by brothers Simon and Bobby Arora, is also in the process of moving its operations to a new 625,000 sq ft distribution centre in Liverpool.