The Parrott family's mobility business has a spring in its step as it has gained a second high street presence this month.

KSP Mobility – which started life as the website Kingsize People six years ago and opened its first shop in Brandon 18 months ago – has now opened a second shop in Thetford's King Street.

The family decided to concentrate on the mobility business when its building refurbishment firm Lanacross Properties was hit hard by the economic downturn.

The Brandon shop has increased its sales each quarter and owner Colin Parrott is hoping that with the new shop in the Norfolk town, the firm could turnover around �250,000 next year.

Mr Parrott runs the business, whose products include bathing aids, walking aids, wheelchairs, chair and underwear, with his wife, Joyce, and two sons, John and Stephen, and their wives. Although the firm originally aimed its products such as chairs and beds at obese people, it now also serves people with disabilities and the elderly.

He said that the Brandon and Thetford districts both had large elderly populations in the outlying villages as people retire to the area.

Mr Parrott said he was inspired to start the business after he designed a walk-in shower for his elderly mother. Although his design did not take off it set the idea in motion.

'I also heard that in Ipswich they were the first county to buy an obese ambulance and that started me thinking about the obese market. It snowballed from there,' he said.

Since it opened on November 2 he said the response had been good. 'Obviously it has got to gain some momentum like everything else, but we were very pleased with it.

'There are so many shops that are closing down. We have been getting people coming in and saying this is what we need in Thetford because we can get easy access to it.'