In the beginning…

Having an English Setter to feed, and always on the look out for a bargain, Peter Croft tracked down a kennels selling boxes of unlabelled can of dog food. It seemed a good idea to buy it in bulk for a better price and an even better idea to sell it on and make a profit. With a sample of dog biscuit from a local manufacturer and a can of meat, Peter went from village to village searching for signs of doggy inhabitants, leaving these free samples for dogs to try, along with a price list and contact details for the owner.

For advertising, Peter and family had stalls at dog and horse shows. Whilst always hard work to set up, you could never tell how many new customers you would attract or what might happen. At the Napton Show, Peter laid out samples on the stall, only to find one horse, obviously hungry and tempted by food, leap the fence with rider and to the amusement of all, munched on the samples and had to be dragged off by the owner!

It was all very well having a delivery round but a face for the business was needed and Jenny’s father’s words “Do it properly” resounded in their ears.  Thus, in 1981, and three daughters later, a retail shop, they called a kiosk, was rented in The Castle Centre Shopping Arcade in Banbury.  Trade was brisk and queues of customers could be seen leading to the shop such was the popularity of the place.

The amiable and charismatic "Mr Arkwright" (Open All Hours) of the Pet Trade!

With a reputation for quality and service, increase in sales came from recommendations.

In George Street, with their name well established, the wholesale side of the business developed naturally.  But the George Street premise was old and needed considerable upkeep.  A well-timed offer from a property developer was one they could not refuse, and they used this opportunity to separate the wholesale and retail operations.  A Cash & Carry Trade Counter was established in Brackley with deliveries going out to shops in the surrounding counties. (Closed in 2010)
The retail store was moved to the Southam Road in Banbury, but only for a short time because a more central business opportunity came along…another garage with forecourt for parking!

A warm welcome awaits you from All of us here at Croft Pet Foods Ltd and the next generation of Crofts!