About Us
Ben Whistler was founded in 1999 by the brothers Ben and Sebastian de Groot.
Ben had been working in the Alps and Sebastian had completed his MBA at INSEAD in France, and after a short spell at PWC the two decided to set up their own company.
Ben’s mother had taught him about upholstery and the care and restoration of old furniture, and Ben funded his time at university by making and selling furniture on a small scale via his first business called “The Stool Company”.
Sebastian had previously run a successful quick-response clothes-sourcing company for high street retailers and was keen on setting up a business in London.
In 1999 they rented their first arch on the London Stone Business Estate, off the Queenstown Road, in Battersea, and the company has remained here throughout its growth. Over the years the company expanded to its current level of approximately 40 employees and now has about 15,000 square feet of workshop space.
Chris Hocking joined in 2005 and Tony Hocking joined in 2006. The brothers had run a technology company that designed and manufactured testing equipment. This company, Hocking NDT, was purchased by GE.
Ben Whistler started out by supplying a select group of Interior designers and today counts some of the world’s most influential designers as clients.
