Solus celebrates 30 years

11th Dec 2025

Solus is 30. Thirty years is no small amount of time to be in business, but what feels even more remarkable is the number of people still here who were present at or near the beginning. This retention and longevity suggest the business is aptly called a company: a group of people working toward a common goal.

To explore this companionship of thirty years, Conleth Buckley, Editor of Quarter, spoke to long-serving and newer employees, junior and senior figures, and people working across every part of the business. What emerged from their testimony was an endeavour not without flaws, but grounded in a supportive ethos, willing to adapt to changing circumstances, and open to new ideas.

Beginnings

CEO Marcus Bentley is the son of Solus founder Peter Bentley. He joined the business formally in 2003 but was very much there at the beginning. He shared some memories of the early days.

"My earliest memories of Solus are of my dad sitting in the lounge after leaving Architectural Ceramics. He had decided he was going to start a tile business on his own. I remember thinking, are you mad. I even said to my mum and dad, are you sure about this. But he was determined. He was forty-eight. I was nineteen.

“He registered the company in December 1995, then in March 1996 he had a kidney transplant. He was seriously ill, but as soon as he got out of intensive care, he was on the phone to architects booking appointments. Not long afterwards he was back out on the road in a suit and looked down to see his shirt turning red where the wound was weeping. He just buttoned up his jacket and carried on.

“The first office was our house. Later, Dad took a tiny shop on York Road in Birmingham with a double garage at the back. I spent school holidays sticking sample chips for him. Looking back, the whole thing was built on determination and self-belief. He invested before we could afford it and never took no for an answer. That attitude shaped the company and still runs through Solus today."

Peter Bentley founded the company in 1995

Credit Controller Eileen O’Reilly joined in March 2005 and, as a straight-talking Brummie, encountered a kindred spirit in Peter Bentley. She remembers those early days fondly and with a hint of incredulity.

"When I think back to the early days at Solus, it was quite dynamic. There were no departments and no procedures. We did everything. One minute I was invoicing, the next I was sending parcels out in the post or putting together quotes. It was chaotic, but it was exciting as well because you felt the business being built in real time.

“We were working out of a basic office with a warehouse that felt big at the time. Then the move to the new building came along. We had to shift everything over a single weekend. None of us could believe we were going to fill it, but we have. It shows how far we have come.

“I remember the day we hit our first million in a month. We opened champagne right there in the office. It felt huge. There was such a sense of pride because we had all mucked in to get the company to that point.

“Those early years gave you an appreciation of every part of the business. You knew how everything worked because you had done it all. It was hard graft, but it laid the foundations for the Solus we have today."

In 2008, we moved into our new HQ and warehouse space in Solihull.

Growing

Managing Director Ryan Bennett joined the business in 2014 and quickly identified areas where Solus could strengthen its structure, drawing on his experience as a group finance director.

"When I joined, Solus had been a very successful business for a long time and already had longevity of staff, deep relationships with clients, customers and factories. Marcus had put in place relaiable systems that gave us something solid to build on. What we needed next was to tighten things further, to bring more consistency into how we worked and to give people clarity around process, finance and planning.

“That gradual shift made a huge difference in the years that followed. Brexit, COVID, Ukraine, each one brought challenges none of us could have predicted. But because we had already been working on structure, cashflow discipline, stock control and forecasting, we were able to navigate those moments without losing sight of who we were. We could make decisions quickly, with clear information in front of us, and that gave everyone confidence.

“The biggest point of pride is that Solus has become a company that balances instinct with insight. It still feels like the same place: the same values, the same people-first culture, and with the robustness to face whatever comes next."

Systems may begin at the top, but they live or die through the people who maintain them. This is particularly true of the central database that underpins operations across the business. Marketing team member Ellen Rose has worked with it for eleven years.

"When I first started, the database was really just a place to generate a code and hold a few basic bits of information. Over time, I began to tidy it up, add structure, and link all the things people needed but did not have in one place.

“Now it holds product details, certifications, pricing, finishes, ranges, technical data: all the information that feeds into quotes, the website, the catalogues, and the decisions people make across the business. If something is wrong here, it ends up wrong everywhere else. So, keeping it clean and accurate protects the integrity of the whole system.

“It’s a cross-cutting tool that has benefitted from input from lots of different people. Just last year, a dedicated team built pricing into the system, and Business Systems Manager Byron Nikolouzos, oversees its integration with the rest of the business.

“Seeing it develop has been one of the most satisfying parts of my job. People rely on it now without even thinking, and that is exactly how a good system should work. It is not glamorous, but it makes the company more efficient, more professional and better connected."

We opened our Manchester Studio in 2024, strengthening our connections with the Manchester A&D community.

Solus Clerkenwell Showroom - tiles — We first moved into our Clerkenwell Showroom in 2018. The showroom went under renovations in 2023, with a new purpose as a community-focused space.

Commercial Success

Strengthened systems underpin the long-game work of the commercial teams. Seeing a project through to completion can take years, and the people who track these journeys are the pistons of the engine. Corporate Team Leader Susannah Steward understands every stage of this cycle.

"On the commercial side you quickly learn that nothing moves in a straight line. A project can run for years, and your job is to keep all the moving parts aligned: architects, contractors, pricing, samples, orders, stock, everything. Working across sales support, tracking and orders has made me understand the full lifecycle and how easily things can stall if no one is watching the detail.

“What has changed in recent years, is the level of structure behind that process. There is more clarity now, more consistency in how we communicate and how we plan ahead. It means we can manage long-term projects without the panic, without the firefighting. And when a job finally comes in after all that time, you really do feel it, because you know the amount of quiet work that went into making it happen."

Commercial Director Ian Hamilton, who joined the company in 2021, remains energised by the company’s direction and potential.

“Commercially, I want Solus to be seen for what it really is: a serious player with the capability and discipline to compete at the top of the market. The relationships were always there, but what we needed was focus, consistency and pace. Since joining, that has been my priority. If we tighten the process, if we remove ambiguity, if everyone knows what good looks like, then we become far more dangerous in the best possible way.

“Ambition for me is simple. I want us winning more of the right projects, building deeper partnerships and proving that Solus can deliver at scale without losing the personal touch that sets us apart. The market is tough and getting tougher, but that does not intimidate me. It motivates me. We have the team, the product and the brand. What we are doing now is sharpening the commercial edge so the rest of the industry cannot ignore us."

Area Sales Manager Jo Burley has been with Solus for an incredible 23 years and has seen the company grow into the position it occupies today.

"When I joined Solus, we were a £2 million business working out of a small warehouse. Now we’re an international company trusted by major architects and contractors, supplying some of the most complex and high-profile projects in the world. The reputation we have today has been earned over years of relationship-building, consistency and professionalism. You can feel it when you walk into a studio or a meeting; people know who we are, they know the quality of what we do, and they know we will look after their project. That shift in how the industry sees us has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career."

Culture

Solus is full of talent, and it nurtures it. Everyone I spoke to mentioned how supported they felt at key moments in their professional and personal lives.

Sales Support Ella Davison said: "What struck me straight away was how supported I felt. I came in with no background in architectural supply, but nobody ever made me feel out of my depth. You can ask anything here. People genuinely want you to succeed, and they take the time to help you get there."

Corporate Orders Coordinator Veronika Frey noted: "From the beginning I felt welcomed and trusted. The culture was exactly what I had hoped it would be. People were kind, professional and patient, and I could see that my development actually mattered. When someone hands you a major account after only a few months, it shows real belief in you."

Business Development Supervisor Maria Green described the personal side of that culture: "Solus has been incredibly supportive, both in work and in life. When I went through cancer, they told me not to worry and that my job would be waiting for me. People checked in, sent flowers, made sure I was all right. I have never felt like just a number here. I have always felt looked after."

We're proud to sponsor Build the Way, a traineeship providing an alternative and accessible route into a career designing and making buildings, spaces, cities, and communities.

The Solus team enjoyed the first volunteering day with the Canal & River Trust.

Head of Regional Sales Sophia Wise reflected: "What struck me most when I joined Solus was how supportive and professional everyone was. The warmth from the interview carried straight into the day-to-day. People reached out, people checked in, and I felt set up to succeed. The calibre of the team is exceptional, and that makes you feel part of something that works."

These moments of support are part of what gives Solus its distinct culture and its credibility when it speaks of people-first values.

Dame Kelly Holmes joined us to discuss Empowerment of Women in Construction and Architecture

We've collaborated with core partners, architects and designers to create exhibitions and activations.

Sounds of the Earth, The Marl Pit, and Laboratory are a few examples of installations in our Clerkenwell space, where we invited architects, designers, partners and friends to experience an array of curated events.

Community and Collaboration

Creative Director Sam Frith has, perhaps, the widest view of the business and is responsible for how Solus presents itself to the world: its values, its creative output and its role in shaping community.

"When I look at Solus, I see a company that has always been shaped by people first. That has been true from the early days of Peter’s instinctive, entrepreneurial energy, through the years of steadying the business, and into the present, where we are more intentional about who we are and how we show up in the world.

“What makes Solus unusual is that the commercial side and the cultural side are not separate. The installations we create, the events we host, the collaborations we pursue, the conversations we have in the studios are not distractions from the business, they are expressions of it. They show the industry what we care about, what we pay attention to, and how seriously we take the craft of materials and the communities that form around them.

Over the years, we've hosted talks, events and happenings exploring themes that align with our purpose and vision.

“Authenticity is not something you invent, it is something you reveal. And the more we have opened ourselves up by inviting architects into our spaces, working with artists and makers, and turning our showrooms into places of exchange rather than display, the more the brand has found its clarity.

“Solus is a gathering point, a place where ideas move, where people meet, where projects begin. That, I think, is the thread that connects our past to our future. The company has changed enormously, but the instinct has stayed the same: to build relationships, to create work we are proud of, and to keep finding better, more thoughtful ways to contribute to the culture we are part of.

“If we continue doing that, building community, being generous with our knowledge, and treating every project as an opportunity to add something meaningful, then the next thirty years will be even more interesting than the last."

Thirty years on, Solus remains what it has always been: a company made by its people. Their stories, their decisions, their graft, their imagination and their care have shaped the business just as surely as the tiles themselves. Speaking to them has made one thing clear. Solus is company with a future made possible by the community that carries it forward.