A quarter of shoppers heading to a Barrow furniture retailer travel for more than an hour to visit the store, bosses have revealed.

As one of Barrow's oldest independent retailers Stollers is considered by many as the 'go to' shop when it comes to homeware inspiration and aspiration.

And despite approaching its 115th year of trading bosses of the family-run firm have shown they are more than capable of moving with the times by reporting one of their most successful years to date.

Lee Stoller, whose great-grandfather Isaiah established the company on a small stall in Barrow Market in 1905, said recent analysis has revealed some 'highly unusual' patterns.

"We've grown our 'out-of-town' business by 26 per cent over the last five years," he said.

"People are travelling further to get here.

"Of our customers, 23 per cent are travelling more than an hour, which is highly unusual for a furniture store."

Around 85 per cent of purchases across the retail industry take place within 15 miles of consumers' homes.

Stollers however, which is the largest single site furniture retailer in the North West, has expanded its reach to the extent where 85 per cent of purchases cover a 48-mile range.

"People are traveling a long way to see us," Mr Stoller, who runs the store with his father David, said.

"This has been achieved by marketing to a bigger audience and following our full store refit."

The store's recent clearance sale saw more than 1,000 customers pass through the doors on the first day.

A major refurbishment launched three years ago, which has just been completed, has involved the creation of individual areas based on different themes, including Industrial Chic, Green Quarter and Boathouse, which are undoubtedly part of the reason Stollers manages to attract customers from so far afield.

"We've had nothing but positive feedback about the refit and it really has drawn so many people to the store who tell us that visiting Stollers is like a day out," Mr Stoller added.