RETAILER PROFILE | Obsidian Interiors
Home k 56
bbreview has published many a feature advising retailers to look at add-on sales and Obsidian Interiors, already a well-established local kitchen and bathroom retailer, decided in September 2020 to do just that and branch out into ‘homeware’ products that would complement its offering. So I went down to see showrooms manager Alison Evans to talk to her about the Obsidian business and this new string to its bow.
Obsidian Interiors certainly dealing with a retailer that
is where the heart is
Obsidian Interiors already does kitchens and bathrooms and has moved into homewares with plans to take the whole-house concept further. Chris Frankland finds out more from showrooms manager Alison Evans
impresses with its Cheltenham showroom, with an imposing and stylish exterior and entrance, which opens out to an even more impressive interior. As soon as you enter you see the large, sweeping feature staircase that transports you up to the kitchen displays on the first floor. Bathrooms are on the ground floor. This 2,700sq ft store has an airy feel and its stylish displays announce to visitors that they are
will
provide them with a well-designed, quality kitchen or bathroom – and by wandering around they will find plenty
of inspiration.
I am greeted at reception and directed to where I will find Alison Evans on the first floor. We sit down for a coffee and our
interview in the consultation area adjacent to a large tile display. Evans is manager for both showrooms. In addition to Cheltenham, which opened in 2001, there is also a smaller (1,600sq ft) showroom in Bourton-on- the-Water, around 10 miles to the east, which opened in 2006. Obsidian Interiors is part of family- run Bence builders merchants, which
Showrooms manager Alison Evans
was set up in 1854 and is still run by the
Bence family, with MD Paul currently at the helm. Bence claims to be the leading independent builders merchant in Gloucestershire. The Cheltenham showroom has around 40 bathroom displays and 10 kitchen displays in a variety of styles from contemporary to traditional. The business turns over around £3 million and sales are split around 60% bathrooms to 40% kitchens. Before finding out more about the new Obsidian Home venture, I ask Evans why did Bence branch out into kitchens and bathrooms?
“MD Paul Bence wanted to make the business more client-focused as there was a lack of kitchen and bathroom showrooms in Cheltenham,” Evans explains. “He also wanted to bring a more luxurious portfolio to the area.”
· January 2022
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