A Basildon toy firm is looking to expand and create new jobs thanks to booming international trade.

PMS International is hoping to increase its warehouse space by 10 per cent as it extends to accommodate a rising number of products.

The Cricketers Way company has spent the past year boosting its product lines to an impressive 7,000.

Now the warehouse is bursting at the seams and is in need of an expansion.

PMS hopes to increase its space by six acres - around ten per cent - with up to 20 new jobs to follow.

Company director Neil Beverley said the company was working closely with planners to come up with acceptable plans.

He said: "Since we came to Basildon four years ago, we have employed around 100 people. As we expand and add space to our warehouse we will need to employ even more staff.

"If this goes ahead, as I am confident it will, we will probably be looking to bring in 15 to 20 new people.

"The council planners have always been pleased with the way we have maintained our building. We were determined not to let our site look like part of an industrial estate. We work hard on the landscaping."

The successful PMS teddy bears, often won in grabber machines, are still the company's best seller.

The firm concentrates on producing toys, Christmas decorations and gifts, although new moves are being made in different directions.

Mr Beverley added: "We have done a lot of expanding in the past year and our new gardening products are very popular. We have a very big and wide range of products now.

"I would like to think this is good news for the company. The company is expanding and needs extra space to cope.

"The way the company has been going and the extra employment are significantly good things. It is one thing having extra space to store goods, but another thing if it holds extra staff."

Councillors are expected to give plans the go-ahead at a meeting of the east Basildon area committee tonight.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.