OLIVER Bonas has hit headlines as it emerged that Matt Hancock has been having an affair with the wife of the lifestyle brand’s founder.
The brand has dozens of stores across the UK, which sell a wide range of products including women’s clothes, homeware, furniture and gifts.
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It recently slashed prices by up to 50% as part of a big summer sale.
Here we take a look at who owns the brand and what time shops open.
Who owns Oliver Bonas?
Oliver Bonas was founded by entrepreneur Oliver Tress who opened his first store in Fulham, London in 1993.
Tress, 54, was born in Henley-on-Thames in May 1967.
He attended the elite boarding school Marlborough College in Wiltshire before studying anthropology at Durham University.
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Before he set up the lifestyle brand aged 25, he spent several years travelling to Hong Kong buying bags and accessories to sell to friends at fairs and markets.
Tress has three children – Talia, Bruno and Layla – with his wife Gina Coladangelo, 43.
When do Oliver Bonas stores open?
Oliver Bonas opening hours vary from branch to branch.
But stores generally open either between 8am and 8pm or 10am and 7pm seven days a week.
You can find your nearest Oliver Bonas branch using their online store locator tool.
The brand also has an online shop with home delivery costing £3.95 or free for orders worth £50 or more.
You can also use their click and collect service which costs £2 for orders under £20.
Why are people talking about Oliver Bonas?
Oliver Bonas has become the source of media attention after The Sun broke the story that Tress’ wife, Gina Coladangelo has been having a secret affair with Matt Hancock.
The millionaire mum-of-three is communications director at Oliver Bonas.
She is also a director and major shareholder at lobbying firm Luther Pendragon, which offers clients a “deep understanding of the mechanics of government”.
The Health Secretary secretly appointed Coladangelo to the Department of Health and Social Care as an unpaid adviser on a six-month contract in March last year.
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It sparked claims of a ‘chumocracy’ in November when it also emerged she had accompanied Hancock to confidential meetings with civil servants and visited No10.
In September, Hancock, 42, appointed Coladangelo as a non-executive director at DHSC, meaning that she is a member of the board that scrutinises the department.
There was no public record of the appointment, which was set to see her earn at least £15,000 of taxpayers’ money, potentially rising by a further £5,000.
The pair first met at Oxford University in the early 2000s but Mr Hancock went on to wed Martha Hoyer Millar in 2006.
Hancock and Coladangelo were caught on camera in a steamy clinch at his Whitehall office.
Whistleblowers revealed the Health Secretary had been spotted cheating on his wife of 15 years with married Ms Coladangelo.
He was seen kissing her at the Department of Health’s London HQ during office hours last month as the mutant strain began spreading.
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The affair will inevitably raise questions about his focus on the UK’s virus battle after he was accused of “lies” over his handling of the pandemic.
He stands accused of failing care home patients with botched testing, wasting billions on a bungled Test and Trace rollout and squandering millions on PPE contracts that failed to deliver.
A DHSC spokesman said Coladangelo’s appointment was “made in the usual way and followed correct procedure”.
It is also understood that since April, she has had a parliamentary pass, giving her unregulated access to the Palace of Westminster.
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In other news, Hancock’s wife Martha has been pictured leaviner her home still wearing her wedding ring.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has also tried to defend Hancock over affair calling it a ‘red herring’.
Meanwhile, Matt Hancock’s job hangs by a thread after this latest scandal.
Ben Shephard jokes ‘Matt Hancock?’ as Kate Garraway gets a text live on GMB
