At the same time as Theresa May met with the President of the United States, the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson dropped in to the George Bence Group in Cheltenham to meet Paul Bence, Managing Director, who gave him a tour of the company’s headquarters.
Boris machined some timber, moved a bulk bag of sand off a crane vehicle and took time to discuss the latest trends from the design team in the firm’s exclusive kitchen & bathroom showroom, Obsidian Interiors.
Johnson had been in Cheltenham to support local conservative candidates ahead of forthcoming council elections. Speaking about the visit, Bence Group MD Paul Bence commented: “We were extremely honoured to welcome Boris to our business. After George Osborne’s visit 18 months ago, we certainly were not expecting another dignitary visit. We had the obligatory chat on Brexit, he was extremely engaging with the staff and discussed his first business venture after university in selling kitchen mosaic splashbacks, which apparently didn’t last long.
“He was also enormously trusting when one of our designers took his phone to try out some new technologies in charging your phone wireless via a work surface. The level of exposure has been astonishing with both national & global reporters getting in touch with us as to why the Foreign Secretary dropped by and as to the reason why he was standing in a bath!”
One of Gloucestershire’s leading independent builders’ merchants, the business was established in 1854. Its fleet of vehicles cover a radius of approximately forty miles from its base in Cheltenham’s town centre and the firm has expanded its offering in recent years to encompass a separate roofing division, increased focus on outdoor landscaping materials and the growth of its award-winning showroom, Obsidian, which showcases “the best in kitchens and bathrooms from the world’s top manufacturers”.
