A note from Iain and Clair Wilson
Back in 1999, we were a newly married 26 and 27-year-old couple who had quit our jobs and embarked on a search to find our own business. We thought it would be easy!
After several months of scouring the UK, we were drowning our sorrows in a little café called Paiges in Holt. Clair muttered that she thought the place was up for sale, so we left our number with the chef, thinking nothing would come of it.
Around midnight that evening, the phone rang, and the owner, Tony Saunders, asked if we would come and see him the next day. Long story short, seven months later, the business was ours.
(The image above is a perfect representation of how it was back in the day. Though this was a fancy dress day. We didn't actually dress like this all the time).
We bought the freehold for just over £800,000 and borrowed far too much money to do so. The ground floor housed a café that was open five days a week. The shop space was leased to a French tenant. Upstairs, there were three flats let on short-term tenancies, while at the back of the property, four privately owned cottages were arranged around an external courtyard. Overall, the building had five members of staff and an annual turnover of £250,000.
Our first goal was to break even, so we used to drive in each day in Clair’s beaten-up G reg Polo, thinking of ways to turn the business around. Fortunately for us, Clair's brother, Gary, joined us, and together the three of us made an awesome team.
80, 90, 100-hour weeks followed, month after month, building customers, a fantastic team, and trust. The business was renamed Byfords, as it had been for around 85 years, as a hardware shop under the ownership of the Byford family.
Through the support of our loyal customers and the hard work of our team, we reached break-even and began reinvesting any profits back into the business. First, we bought back the deli lease, then converted the flats into a Posh B&B. Next came the oak-framed octagon. Over time, we gradually bought back the cottages one by one, eventually transforming them all into bedrooms.
After much hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, Byfords had grown into a Café, Store, and 16-bedroom Posh B&B. Along the way, we also managed to have four children - three of whom now work in the business!
Earlier this year, we began 25 improvements to celebrate 25 years as custodians of this great building. The aim, as always, is to reinvest back into the business and deliver an environment that has the chance of being around for a very long time. More plans will be revealed in the months to come, and we are really excited about the future of Byfords.
In the 25 years, Byfords has gone on to help support many other interests – The Pigs, Edgefield; The Assembly House, Norwich; Sponge, Holt; The Dial House & The Dial, Reepham; Ffolkes, Hillington; The Lodge, Drayton; Beachside, Sheringham; and NuMi, Holt.
We have diversified into hospitality, property development, online retail, health, and recently the magic world of spa.
We’re fortunate to have many long-term team members who have grown with us over the years, with our staff numbers now around 250 across the businesses. We also have approximately 120,000 Norfolk Passport holders and are incredibly grateful for our loyal customers - without their support, none of this would be possible.
It's fair to say that this journey has been totally epic, and we as a team are more purpose-driven now than ever before. The overall goal is to continue beyond our lifetime, consistently providing a trusted experience for all involved. How great would that be?
A big thank you from both of us to all of you, our wonderful customers, team and suppliers.
It's been a blast. Onwards and upwards!
Best wishes,
Iain and Clair Wilson
Save 10% at Byfords with Norfolk Passport
Sign up for Norfolk Passport, a free to join membership programme and receive exclusive perks and discounts at some of the top businesses in Norfolk, including a saving of 10% on food, drinks, and overnight stays at Byfords.
