Aga Rangemaster saw revenues fall during 2010, with drops in sales of its classic cast iron cookers as well as the Rangemaster brand.

However, it says that the increasing popularity of new products such as Aga Total Control and a slowdown in the losses at Fired Earth and Grange show some light at the end of the tunnel.

Revenues are down 3% on 2010 to £251 million after 'a tough end to the year', however the company says the work done to improve margins and control costs more than offsets any impact on profit.

In fact, pre-tax profit is expected to be up when the final results for the year come out in March.

Overall sales of cast iron cookers were down but AGA Total Control (pictured), the digitally controllable version of the classic design that was launched in May, has done well and reached a third of all AGA orders in the second half of the year.

It is now "well established" in the UK and, the company says, the first signs of international interest are being seen. For Rangemaster, cooker sales were up overseas but down in the UK.

William McGrath, chief executive, said: "The Group has recently launched a formidable range of products, including the AGA Total Control, that will drive us forward in 2012. These products will be backed by commercial and operational efficiency gains that build firmly on the progress already achieved."