How it all started....
The company supplies home heating oil to domestic customers and celebrated
40 years as a Jet distributor in 2006. But the real story of Stoddards
began not 40, but 80 years ago in 1926 when its founder Percy Stoddard
managed to persuade his parents to finance a truck to replace his horse
and cart for coal deliveries. Percy’s coal business thrived and
in 1941, at the height of the war, he moved it to Cheadle buying a garage
on the site where Stoddards still stands today. However wartime was tough
and coal was heavily rationed so Percy, always quick to adapt, branched
out into logs and agricultural contracting. The business prospered and
by 1948, Stoddards had diversified into haulage and Percy’s sons,
Brian and Malcolm, were involved driving tipper trucks from local quarries
into major cities to help with the re-building effort after the war.
Stoddards’ next leap forward was in 1965 when Jet representative
Arthur Leke, who’d sold diesel in bulk for their haulage business,
happened to mention that Jet was looking for an authorised distributor
for bulk fuels in the area. “Looking back, we knew very little about
fuel distribution, but in those days things moved quickly and on just
a handshake we were suddenly an authorised distributor with 3 bulk tanks
and a Bedford tanker on order,” remembers Brian Stoddard. A year
later in the midst of the swinging 60s Stoddards was a booming fuel business
selling everything from derv, gas oil and kerosene to special paraffin
and TVO (tractor vaporising oil). “500 gallons of gas oil would
cost £31 and five shillings,” recalls Brian. “In today’s
money that’s 5p per gallon – unbelievable!” By the late
1960s Stoddards was prospering to such an extent that it had 5 tankers
bearing the Stoddards name. Brian believes much of the company’s
success in those days can be attributed to the family being local, down
to earth folk. “There’s no doubt that our customers liked
dealing with someone who they knew was from a local family,” he
remembers. “Although my wife’s apple pie certainly played
a part in sealing some deals – particularly with Tom Carrol, a young
representative from Jet,” he reminisces. However by the 1970s the
winds of change were once again on the way. “Central heating was
the ‘new thing’”, remembers Brian. “So Malcolm
and I, who were on the road delivering for Jet from the Ellesmere Port
terminal whilst our wives ran the office, decided that Stoddards’
future was in the domestic market.”
But then in 1973 came the fuel crisis – complete with black-outs
and a three-day week. “Ironically, fuel rationing actually gave
the business more impetus,” recalls Brian. “Thanks to our
relationship with Jet, which certainly looked after us – ensuring
that we had our fair share of fuel, if not a bit extra, we gained quite
a lot of customers, many of whom are still with us today.”
The business is still a thriving family concern run, since 1996, by Brian’s
daughter Judith who’s supported by her brother Peter and cousin
Paul Stoddard. And all three remain true to the company’s ‘hands
on’ philosophy with Peter looking after both the technology and
safety side of things, as well as driving deliveries, and Paul being responsible
for the maintenance of trucks and tanks. Meanwhile the ‘old guard’,
Brian has taken an interested ‘back seat’ role so that the
third generation of Stoddards can take the business forward. Judith, paying
tribute to the generations behind the business, sums up why she believes
Stoddards has done so well and will continue to do so in the future:“Today
we run the company just like our grandfather and fathers did – by
keeping things simple. Our golden rule is ‘service’ –
doing all you can to give people what they want when they want it. But,
whilst we’re true to this philosophy, it’s always been the
Stoddards way to look to the future and take advantage of technological
advances too. “For example we’re constantly in touch with
our drivers so it’s possible that within 10 minutes of a customer
placing an order we can deliver if we’re in the area. Now that’s
what we call our ‘jet-powered’ service!”
Clearly Stoddards has come a very long way since Grandad Stoddard delivered
coal from the back of a horse and cart!
