THINGS are looking positive for many businesses in Okehampton — despite the credit crunch.
Factories, supermarkets and trade in the town continue to grow and stand strong.
One of the biggest factories in Okehampton has seen a rise in sales as well as new contracts.
Spokesperson for Heinz Okehampton Nigel Dickie said: 'The factory has been working flat out to keep up with demands.
'Our Weight Watchers brand from Heinz has increased sales up to 10 per cent, which is helped by the fact that it is the diet season and people are not wanting to give up on their treats.
'The factory is being kept very busy and we also have some new contracts with some supermarkets' own brand desserts.'
And Okehampton-based Robert Wiseman Dairies is continuing to expand.
Company spokesperson Mark Mcdiarmid said the firm recently announced plans to build a distribution site for deliveries further north.
'In terms of employment, we have been recruiting more staff and things are looking great for us.
'As a company on a whole, we are always looking for opportunities to grow and expand.'
Supermarkets in Okehampton say there has been a rise in sales, with customers enjoying offers and promotions.
Department manager at Waitrose Richard Griffiths said: 'Our sales remain as strong as this time last year, however, we are seeing new buying trends from our customers.
'Scratch cooking products, including home-baking ingredients, frozen vegetables and pork and brisket have shot up, suggesting people are staying in and cooking at home in order to save money.'
A spokesperson for Somerfield said sales at the store were up year on year: 'We have been investing in this store to improve facilities for customers to make it easier and quicker to shop and to extend the range of fresh foods.
'Customers are taking advantage of our deep cut price promotions and we have seen sales of our Simply Value budget range of everyday foods increase.
'Trends show that more people appear to be cooking at home and avoiding eating out, with higher sales of fresh meat and produce.'
For Lidl, Marco Ivone said: 'Our store in Okehampton has benefited from an increase in customer numbers since its recent extension.
'It makes the store a much more pleasant shopping experience.
'We have noticed an uplift in sales on many products such as our Parmigiano Reggiano DOP Cheese, which costs £3.49 for 280g and it won the cheese category at the Quality Food Awards last year.'
Things have also been looking good for Martin's Butchers in Okehampton, who featured with their local produce in Channel 4's Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Employee Chris Drew said: 'We are competitive with our prices against supermarkets and 99% of our meat is sourced locally. This makes a real difference.
'It helps that we have our special offers blackboard at the Freefit Garage down by Waitrose and, of course, we have the board outside the front of the butchers.
'We try and change it and put different meats on offer and we always stress that it is local produce.'
'With the recent credit crunch being the way it is, we are still finding people are coming through our door. We have had no complaints and everything is looking really positive.'
Okehampton chamber of trade chairman Ian Bailey said he recently attended a meeting organised by West Devon Borough Council to talk about how the credit crunch had affected the town.
'I am pleased to say that the outcome of that meeting was really positive.
'It was so heartening to find that overall in the Okehampton area, we don't seem to be as badly affected as other parts of the country.
'The way I look at it is, if you drop a stone into a pond, the ripples move outwards.
'If you imagine London being the point of the stone, the further away the ripples, the less the effect it is having.'