PRETAX PROFITS at directory inquiry firm 11890 last year increased more than fourfold to €688,177, new figures show.

Accounts just filed by Dublin-based Call 11890 Ltd show it increased its pretax profits by 308 per cent from €168,318 to €688,177 in the 12 months to the end of May 31st last.

Founder and chief executive of the firm Nicola Byrne said yesterday she was “very pleased” with the company’s performance.

The abridged accounts show gross profit increased by 54 per cent from €1 million to €1.67 million last year. Ms Byrne confirmed revenues remained static last year.

“We were more profitable last year because we became better at what we do and we have invested a lot in technology,” she said.

The firm is the only exclusively Irish-based and Irish-owned directory inquiry firm, with offices in Dublin and Galway. Staff numbers fell from 79 to 61 last year.

Rival directory inquiry firm 11850 has its main call centre for Ireland in the Philippines, having shut its Dublin call centre in 2010.

Ms Byrne said: “The ‘Buy Irish’ message from us started to resonate with people here last year and it gained traction.” She said the firm’s recent promotion of free-calls from Eircom landlines for three months increased its market share to about 23 per cent.

She Byrne the offer “was about market acquisition and I believe that we have achieved that”.

Ms Byrne said the business deals with 17,000-18,000 calls per day, stating that the average cost per call to the customer is €1.

Last year’s profits reduced the company’s accumulated losses from €8.4 million to €7.7 million.

The figures show that Ms Byrne and Nicholas Emmet own 10 per cent of Call 11890 Ltd through their firm, Glaoich.