A lifestyle store on Teesside has won a top North-east e-retailing award.

Triads, the Middlesbrough-based store owned by Collin and Gary Donaldson, has walked away with the Best Sales and Marketing On-line title and runner-up in the Best Customer Care On-Line section in the regional final of the E-Commerce Awards.

The company, which specialises in designer clothing for men and women, will now go forward to the national finals of the competition, organised by the Department of Trade and Industry and Interforum. The overall winner will receive £50,000.

The regional awards were sponsored by regional development agency One NorthEast.

Triads’ new site is being used by Business Link Tees Valley as a model of good practice for other web-based businesses in the area, after a major overhaul by Middlesbrough-based web design firm Yuzu Media.

Collin Donaldson said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Triads after a number of years spent refining the website concept.

“Part of our success is due to the fact that our website is updated on a daily basis in-house. It is of paramount importance to maintain an updated website and is critical to any firm wishing to do business online.”

Business Link was instrumental in the site’s nomination for the E-commerce Awards. It has also played a crucial role in advising on the site’s specification, as well as providing funds towards its development.

The new site was launched last October and features exclusive collections from labels such as Maharishi, Stussy, Adidas Originals, Nike Heritage, Levi Red/Vintage and Adidas Y3.

The number of people visiting the site has been very high, peaking at more than one million within ten days in April, during the launch of a particularly exclusive range.

“After having a website that didn’t work, the new website has effectively become a third store for us. As well as having a huge impact on our turnover, we have taken on a further three members of staff since the site’s relaunch,” added Collin.

Tom Newbould, ICT adviser at Business Link, has worked with Triads since early 2004.

Triads was established in 1988 by Collin and Gary and had its original base at 274 Linthorpe Road. Three years later the company moved to more central premises in Albert Road.

A second state-of-the art store, again on Linthorpe Road, was opened in 2002, offering a wider range of men’s and women’s clothing, including ready-to-wear collections from Prada, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

Triads has its own label in production, which is expected to launch in the coming weeks.

The first collection will feature windbreakers, hooded tops and T-shirts designed exclusively in a special collaboration with renowned cult graphic artist Gassius, who can count Nike and Being Hunted among his recent projects.