The WCF family is made up of several decentralised businesses operating across retail/mail order, e-commerce fulfilment, logistics and leisure sectors.
WCF has proudly been in operation for over 110 years and has a diverse, strong and rich legacy. Each business is given significant autonomy and personal responsibility to ensure that our customers are placed at the heart of everything we do so that they will want to order from us again and recommend us to their friends and family.
We are an employee-owned business and our vision, mission and culture have all been developed to ensure that every one of our 400 employee-owners have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference to our performance and to enjoy diverse and interesting roles.
Our employee ownership business model provides our people with a personal interest in our continued and sustained success. Our employees share in our success financially through an annual cash Employee Ownership Dividend and the distribution of free WCF shares, intended to encourage retention and long service. This creates a lasting bond with the company
Our Vision
As a business that is partly owned by its employees, our vision is to hand WCF over to future generations of employees in a stronger financial position for the future than when we inherited it, so that they can benefit from its continued existence and resilience
Our Mission
To create a workplace where every employee-owner matters and has a unique opportunity to make a difference in our performance with meaningful, diverse and interesting roles.
Our People
As employee owners our people here at WCF Chandlers are given their voice to help us improve our processes, our customer experience and our workplace. We foster a culture of continued learning and development and encourage our teams to take on new and diverse roles. Our focus on behaviours that reinforce our values and promote good employee engagement means that we enjoy high levels of long-term service and employee retention.
Find out more
Hear from our trusted employees about what it is like to work for WCF!
If you want to know more about our vision, mission, purpose and values visit WCF to learn more
Our team care!
Our team at WCF Pet & Equestrian are passionate about animals and offers unrivalled levels of product expertise. Our 8 stores across Northern England and Southern Scotland stock an extensive range of products aimed at those who live in a rural community or aspire to a country way of life.
We stock feed, equipment, accessories, clothing, animal health and toys for the pet, equestrian, poultry, smallholder and wild bird sectors. We consider our loyal customers, and their pets, part of the WCF family and support our local communities through charitable giving, sponsorship and product donations. WCF has developed a number of its ranges of premium dog and cat feed which is retailed in-store and online through our website and via Amazon. Our products are made for us in the UK and contain only the finest ingredients. Lakes Heritage is our best-selling grain-free dog feed. We are working with all our manufacturers on product sustainability. We stock a wide range of eco-friendly products in-store
5* Camping And Glamping
Our objective is to develop a portfolio of 5-star camping and glamping sites in amazing locations to give our guests an unforgettable experience whatever the weather and allow them to create long-lasting memories for all the family.
WCF currently operates 3 campsites, the award-winning Hadrian’s Wall 5-star site Herding Hill Farm in Northumberland, Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site close to Edinburgh and the recently acquired Longnor Wood in the heart of the Peak District. We also have Herding Campers camper van hire which operates from our Herding Hill Farm campsite in Northumberland. Our dog-friendly sites offer a mix of touring, camping, glamping, holiday lodges and self-catering accommodation. Both Longnor Wood and Herding Hill Farm have received 5-star accreditations from Visit England and/or the AA.
We have development programs in place to further improve the facilities and premiums of the accommodations, as well as implementing a range of small touches to improve the overall guest experience. We employ a mix of on-site wardens and individuals from the local communities to provide the best possible working experience for our teams and offer a personalised guest experience. Our teams are passionate about their sites and the local area and the majority of our 5-star guest reviews compliment the friendliness and welcoming nature of the teams. Longnor Wood is an adults-only site, but Drummohr and Herding Hill Farm offer family-friendly camping and glamping. The three sites are all members of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) to ensure that we continue to benchmark ourselves against others and learn from best practices. We work actively to promote the attractions, events and amenities of the local communities of Northumberland, Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Peak District and encourage people to visit these wonderful areas we offer corporate sponsorship to a range of local charities and wildlife trusts. We promote green tourism and our three sites are participating in the David Bellamy Pledge for Nature schemes.
WCF started our home shopping mail order business in 1989 and now operates a portfolio of 4 clothing brands for the mature market – Country Collection, James Meade, The Classic Boutique and Bella di Notte, which we acquired from the founder in December 2023. .
We aim to be the UK’s most trusted retailer by mail order of high-quality, long-lasting, stylish and timeless classics and co-ordinates to the over 65’s. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to look their best no matter their age or gender. All our brand garments and catalogues are designed in the UK by our in-house teams and manufactured for WCF by several small businesses both in the UK and overseas.
All our suppliers operate according to an ethical code of conduct. We seek to reduce the miles travelled for our garments wherever possible and use natural sustainable fibres in our clothes. Whilst an increasing proportion of our home shopping sales orders are now received online, we offer dedicated UK-based customer service telephone contacts for those customers who prefer to chat with us before placing their order. Helping to find the right fit and choose the best garment for their needs is imperative to us. Our customer service representatives are trained to offer advice on colour, styling and fit. All products are despatched directly from our warehouses in the rural towns of Brampton in Cumbria and Malton in North Yorkshire by our in-house pick and pack teams. We have many loyal customer recruitment and retention strategies both on and offline and have our own dedicated marketing and data analysis teams to ensure that we are placing the right products in front of the right customers in the right places at the right time. We operate free returns to ensure that our customers can order from us in confidence knowing that if the product is not right for them they can return it to us for a full refund free of charge. The majority of products are despatched through Royal Mail.
WCF are one of the Top 10 independent oil distributors in the UK
Operating around 80 tankers from 12 fuel storage depots from Norfolk to Lincolnshire to Humberside to Northumberland and from Lancashire to Cumbria.
WCF have four oil distribution businesses - Allan Stobarts, Chandlers Oil, WCF Fuels North East and WCF Fuels North West. Our oil distribution business has grown through a combination of the acquisition of family-owned businesses and organic geographical growth through the addition of new fuel depots. Our tanker fleet ranges from baby 4-wheelers for the tightest of access to articulated vehicles and is fitted with on-truck computers to facilitate efficient and safe deliveries for our drivers. We use automated routing software and the expertise of our transport teams to minimise miles travelled and ensure maximum drop efficiency. Green routes are available for our customers. We lease our oil tankers and have a renewal program in place to ensure that our vehicles are manufactured to the most modern of standards.
Our 4 oil distribution businesses operate independently in their geographies but frequently collaborate to share best practices and benchmark their performance. Our fuel customer base ranges from domestic heating oil customers in rural locations, agriculture and farmers, a small number of retail filling stations, hauliers, and construction and commercial customers. Customers can order online, by text or in person by speaking to one of our customer services teams. Many of our larger customers have dedicated account managers to facilitate their ordering experience. We are working closely with our industry body UKIFDA as the UK transitions from fossil fuels into greener forms of energy and have recently started trials of a green liquid fuel hydrogenated vegetable oil (otherwise known as "HVO") as part of a wider government consultation. We have a Driver Academy to develop our talent pool of future drivers in response to the widely reported industry shortages and offer our oil distribution drivers a range of additional benefits to supplement their headline rate of basic pay...
Our 2 newest brands to the WCF Family are A1 Lawn and Progreen Weed Control Solutions, which we acquired as part of our acquisition strategy to find and integrate family businesses seeking good and sustainable succession for their businesses and their employees.
Both A1 Lawn and Progreen are e-commerce brands which were acquired from the families that started them. Both the A1 Lawn and Progreen brands offer a wide range of products to gardeners, landscapers, paddock owners and amenity firms. Our products include lawn, paddock and grass seed, fertiliser, weedkiller, pesticides and ground care and sell to both individual consumers and across the wider amenity sectors.
We offer training in the specialist application of these products and soil analysis to ensure that customers are choosing the correct products for their needs. We have a team of qualified BASIS Technical Sales Advisors to support our customers. Both brands have their e-commerce websites, as well as several own brand products which are also sold through Amazon and eBay. We operate efficient e-commerce fulfilment operations for both brands at our new distribution centre in Peterborough
With our domestic services to homeowners, bulk fuel solutions for farms and businesses, and local village buying groups with thousands of members across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, and the East Midlands, WCF Chandlers ensures you never run out of essential fuels.
Whether you need home heating oil, agricultural diesel, or commercial fuels, we've got you covered. Across all our depots, we are committed to providing you with exceptional value and exceeding expectations with our award-winning service. Whether you're looking for affordable heating oil for your boiler, or bulk fuel supplies for your farm or business, we have the right solution for you. We also offer local Village Buying Groups, allowing you to benefit from more competitive prices by grouping deliveries in your area. With thousands of members, our buying groups reduce distribution costs, and we pass those savings directly to you.
We can even manage your fuel levels with WCF Chandlers Tank Smart Monitoring service. Plus, if you want to spread the cost of your domestic heating oil, explore our helpful Payment Plans, where we can offer you the best available price.
