SIX years ago a Basingstoke entrepreneur was pictured with a broad smile picking up the trophy for the Growing business Award.

Now that same business has gone international and celebrated its 10th anniversary.

It is a true success story for Graham Worsfold, who founded DigiPoS in Basingstoke.

The company is still headquartered in offices in Dummer and now has a newly-opened distribution centre in Houndmills.

Mr Worsfold, who won an early accolade for the company at the 1998 Basingstoke Business Awards, couldn't make it to the 10th anniversary celebrations of his company as he is now based in Toronto, where he is executive chairman and heads up the design and development of new products for DigiPoS.

At the time he scooped the Growing Business Award, DigiPoS had a turnover of £5million. Today it has a turnover of $100million, operates in 13 countries and employs about 300 staff.

But Basingstoke remains very much the headquarters of the company, which develops point of sales technology solutions for the retail sector.

Its products are manufactured in Taiwan and then assembled and distributed through Basingstoke.

DigiPoS is ranked third in the UK for its point of sales solutions.

One of its customers is GAME, the major retailer of electronic games, which relocated its European headquarters into a brand-new building at Houndmills, earlier in the summer.

Other customers include Harvey Nichols, Majestic Wines and Lloyds Pharmacy.

This year DigiPoS was a finalist in the 2003 Basingstoke Business Awards in the Contribution to the Economy Award after having a £30million investment in the business from bankers Barclays and HSBC.

For all its success, DigiPoS remains a private company and the UK managing director is Ian Patterson who joined in 1997.

It was Mr Patterson who hosted the 10th anniversary celebrations for 70 customers, suppliers and investors who were invited to tour the new Houndmills centre and then enjoy a barbecue and jazz band at the headquarters offices at Kempshott Park, Dummer.

The party carried on into the evening to entertain the 40 DigiPoS staff based in Basingstoke.

It included a long service presentation to staff member Andy Street, who was the third person to be taken on by the company.

Mr Patterson said: "We have one of the lowest staff turnovers in the industry. People enjoy the ethos of the company."

More jobs continue to be created by DigiPos as it grows its business.

Mr Patterson said: "We will continue to expand to be globally number one in point of sales."

And the good news for Basingstoke? DigiPos is committed to staying headquartered in its home town.