STAFF at a Worcester clothing store are breaking open the bubbly after being crowned the company's super sales team internationally.

Jaeger, based in the city's Cathedral Plaza, beat off competition from the company's 130 or so stores internationally to be named the branch with the biggest increase in like for like sales for the period from May 2005 to May this year.

The shop saw a 15 per cent increase in sales compared with the same period from May 2004 to May 2005, which in turn was down one per cent on the previous year.

Manager Karen Vockins was presented with an award by Jaeger's owner Harold Tillman and chief executive Belinda Earl at the company's annual conference on Wednesday, held at the London College of Fashion off Oxford Circus in the capital.

Ms Vockins, who has headed the Worcester shop operation for just over a year, declined to give specific figures but put the success of the store, which has been in the city for 30 years, down to her sales team and the quality of their product.

She added: "We're incredibly happy about it - I've got a great team and I feel incredibly grateful to my girls, who are the best sales team possible.

"We've had the most fantastic time doing it. It's been hard for retail generally and because we're not on the high street it's made it even harder, so this just proves what you can do with the right team and product behind you."

Jaeger has a total of 114 stores in England with about a dozen further stores internationally, in locations including China and Holland.

Cathedral Plaza centre manager John Kendrick said: "I'm absolutely delighted for them - it just goes to show what having a really good sales team and a positive attitude can achieve."