About Us
History of Bentley Brushware
1860
The Bentley brush business is established by William Bentley, this was one of ten brush makers in Loughborough at the time. William started an apprenticeship and then married his boss’ daughter to eventually take over the business.
1880
The family business moves to Ashby square, here they had a yard with workshops to the rear and a shop. William and his wife, Helen, have 13 children- twelve boys and the last a girl, 4 of the sons became brush makers in their own right.
1900
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Thomas, the eldest son, decides it is time to move out and resides at 30 Leopold Street, he had his own workshop in his back yard.
1925
Thomas ran a successful business and in 1925 was in a position to retire, after looking for a possible purchaser he found that one of his younger brothers, Charles, was interested. The business was sold to Charles for £250 and Charles Bentley & Son was born. Charles hung a brand new brass plate on the front wall of his house, this brass plate can still be seen at our head office today.
1971
Ray, the fifth member of the Bentley family to run Charles Bentley and Son, strikes up an equal partnership with his wife and two sons Charles and Robert. This was also around the same time that the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) opened in Birmingham. Charles Bentley and Son were offered half of another companies stand on which to exhibit, the show was a great success and Bentley still exhibit at the same show to this day.
1990
Charles Bentley becomes Managing Director.
1992
In 1992 the family business moves to Central House on Jubilee Drive, Loughborough. The 44,000 square foot office and warehousing facilities are the company headquarters for the next 17 years. In 2008 the design and merchandising centre opens over the road and the jubilee drive site is currently used for warehousing and logistics.
1996
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In 1996 the first Bentley advertisement featured the bright 'broom shack' range. When this range was launched the unique bold and fluorescent colours were an innovative way to spruce up the brush market and the brooms came complete with palm tree 'broom shack' logo.
2005
The company becomes Ltd and is re branded for the first time with the original green logo changing style and colour, now the unique Bentley ‘B’ is promoted on packaging and products.
2006
In 2006 Bentley launched the Stripy Pink range. The first company in the UK to launch a patterned cleaning range, the very eye catching Stripy Pink range was the first of many and led the way for a vast assortment of exciting funky cleaning patterns.
2007
In 2007 Bentley Innovation was born. The launch of the Bentley Bambu range illustrated the new capabilities of the UK creative team. Now Bentley have a well earned reputation for creating products and ranges from scratch to meet changing market trends and demands. Using the latest software the Bentley design team are able to create bespoke ranges and products that are both stylish and fit for purpose.
2007
In 2007 Bentley expands into North America, with offices in North Carolina and warehouse facilities in Kansas.
2008
In 2008 the Bentley Head Offices move from Jubilee Drive to Monarch Way. The multi million pound investment is essential due to rapid expansion. The design and merchandising centre displays the full portfolio of Bentley brushware products and the merchandising options available. Effectively like a 'shop floor' customers can visualise how a range may be merchandised.
2008
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In 2008 Bentley expands its export portfolio to offer products worldwide. With factories in Sri Lanka and China and offices in Hong Kong Bentley are able to offer innovative products at competitive prices.
2010
In May 2010 staff at Charles Bentley and Son Ltd and Ernie White, Leicestershire Lead Member for the Children and Young Peoples Service, welcomed A-level competition entrants to Central House the Bentley Head Office. 50 designs were entered into the competition and the winning design was picked by a panel of judges.Ernie White presented certificates and prize money to the students, the winning design and now a popular Bentley range is ‘Floral’ by Grace Aird.
2011
Launched in June 2011 in preparation for the 2012 patriotic celebrations, the Jubilee and of course the Olympics. The Proud to be... range of brushware is emblazoned with the forever eye catching union jack symbol.
2011
At the end of 2011 Charles Bentley and Son Ltd were named as one of Britain's Brightest Businesses. The Telegraph published a report to celebrate the 1,000 mid-sized companies which have weathered the economic storm and are set to be the foundation of the UK's recovery.The snapshot focuses on companies that have sales of between £5 and £500 million, young gazelles sit alongside long established companies such as Charles Bentley and Son Ltd.
2011
Inspired by the overwhelming baking trend the products in this range are sprinkled with charming pastel coloured cupcakes that look good enough to eat! Designed and manufactured in the UK the cupcake range is not only unique but exceedingly fashionable.Bentley are the first UK company to offer a selection of wooden brushware with an innovative pattern.
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Scroll through the timeline above to see key milestone throughout the Bentley history, for further information on a specific date click the blue + icon.
Bentley’s Vision: To provide our customers with outstanding innovative, great value and top quality products that are fit for purpose at competitive prices, always.
Our mission statement: Utilising our 150 years of experience in the cleaning industry, wealth of knowledge and passion for innovation to produce cleaning products that are used across the globe everyday and are tailored to meet different consumer needs.