Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
By Robin Clark, Managing Director of R G Bennett & Co
R G Bennett & Co, the sole UK importer for the Krisk range of products, regrets to announce that Brian Clark, previously managing director of R G Bennett & Co for almost 38 years, passed away on March 26, aged 77 years.
Brian is survived by Myra – his wife of over 55 years, four children and eight grandchildren.
A service and cremation will take place at 10:15am on Friday, April 12 at Vinters Park Crematorium, Bearsted Road, Weavering, Maidstone, Kent ME14 5LG. Attendees would be very welcome afterwards at Hartley Country Club, Culvey Close, Hartley, Longfield, Kent DA3 8BS for refreshments.
The family have requested family flowers only but donations are welcome in Brian’s memory to EllenorLions Hospices whose care and compassion in Brian’s final days was so comforting to all.
Brian was managing director of Bennett’s from June 1963 to February 2001 and oversaw the development of the company from supplying small hardware stores to supplying the first specialist cookshops within the UK.
He always championed the cause of the independent store refusing (on many occasions) to supply the early supermarkets with products.
Brian was a regular exhibitor at shows. In his early days, he exhibited at the many regional gift fairs with Bennett’s – Torquay and Blackpool especially – as well as LOFA and other exhibitions as part of the Australian Pavilion organised by Australia House in London. Some of these shows went on to become the Spring Fair, Autumn Fair and GLEE. He exhibited at the very first Spring Fair in Birmingham as well as all of the original Exclusively Housewares shows in Kensington.
During his time at Bennett’s, Brian strengthened the strong links with Australia by securing the UK distribution of the Krisk Bean Slicer (still exclusively distributed throughout the UK by Bennett’s) as well as Willow Bakeware and Dalson barbeques (which were probably the first barbeques sold in the UK).
Brian stood down as managing director of Bennett’s after ill health forced his retirement in 2001. However, he remained a director.
