Lead interview: Keeping the home fires burning with AJ Wells

Keeping the home fires burning

2022 is a big year for AJ Wells and their flagship company, Charnwood. It marks 50 years of keeping fires crackling in hearths across the country, a herculean task they manage from their bustling factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight.

By Rebecca Lawson Main photo Julian Winslow

Charnwood. The very name conjures welcoming images of wood burning stoves glowing merrily with dancing flames. Combine this with sleepy family pets stretched lazily out to soak up the warmth and you’ve got a quintessentially British scene, perfect for any brittle winter’s day. With cosy images like this as their lifeblood, it’s no wonder this once small Island company has become one of Britain’s most treasured family businesses. With 2022 being their 50th anniversary, this is the perfect time to explore how they got where they are today. The AJ Wells group of companies are all a product of their time. They have shifted direction to find the opportunity in the darkest periods, but to understand how the company has grown into the behemoth it is today, we need to travel back in time.

1972 – The Troubles and the Cold War were both in full swing, Tottenham beat Wolverhampton in the first ever UEFA Cup final, and Edward, Duke of Windsor, passed away 35 years after abdicating from the throne. With all this upheaval in the outside world, Alfred Wells and his two sons quietly founded the company that, in 2022, would become Britain’s oldest manufacturer of wood burning stoves. The story didn’t start with stoves, however. The family began by repairing tractors in a small brick workshop in Niton, nestled on the hills that line the south coast of the Isle of Wight. Ced Wells, current Creative Director and grandson to Alfred, explains, “Throughout the history of the business, we seem to have been able to find opportunity in crises. The first was when the oil shortages of the 70s forced prices to shoot up. At the same time, Dutch Elm Disease led to millions of trees being felled. People had to heat their homes somehow, so everyone wanted to buy a wood burner. The problem was that the only wood burners available were great big things not suitable for residences, so we moved away from repairing tractors and worked to create a smaller stove that would fit into lounge rooms.” Thus the iconic Charnwood Beacon was born.

The business evolves to meet changing demand, but the attraction of wood burning remains eternal.

“We, as humans, have been burning wood since the dawn of time – we sit around a fire and tell stories.”

The company grew organically from there and AJ Wells is now the umbrella name of several operations, each with its own identity. They produce a mixture of products – including the station signs for the London Underground and Paris Metro – but perhaps the most exciting offering in 2022 is Vlaze. This operation makes enamel kitchens that are shipping as far afield as the US. “We call them inside-out kitchens because they’re on wheels so they can easily be moved indoors or out – that makes them perfect for open-plan living.” It’s not all been plain sailing, however. Recent concern about smoke pollution has led the company to invest in greener technologies, and their newest development sounds like a product of the future. “You open the door,” Ced explains, “put the logs in, close the door and walk away. Then the stove monitors how the fire is burning and adjusts the air controls automatically. As long as your wood is dry and you’ve lit the match, the fire will burn at its most efficient and cleanest rate, and then it pings you on your phone when you need to put another log on. It could revolutionise the way we burn wood.” Despite their obvious success, the heart of the company lies with people not product, a fact that is obvious the moment you walk through the door. Alice, the fresh-faced young receptionist, is the fourth generation of the Wells family to work in the business. It is rare to find a family so close these days, especially one that seems to work and play together so seamlessly. “We grew up in the business, so I guess we take it for granted,” Ced says. “It’s always been a part of who we are. When we were younger, dad used to bring back thermostat knobs and various bits

and pieces and he’d pay us 10p each to paint them, so we’ve always been involved from a young age. Then, as we got older, we just naturally drifted towards it.”

These deep roots extend to the place where the company was born. “The Island is intrinsic to who we are. There are cottages in Niton that still have original Charnwood Beacon stoves installed. The business is completely intertwined with the community, it has actually become our story – it fuels our creativity and is the inspiration behind much of our design and marketing.” It isn’t just the Island way of life that inspires their marketing campaigns. Charnwood advertisements have famously featured the family dog

Family values: working, playing and growing together is at the heart of AJ Wells’ success.

alongside a roaring fire since the 80s. Wellington the cocker spaniel was the first face of the company, and his luscious tawny locks could not be bettered as he poses proudly in the early ad campaigns. Wellington, bless his heart, has long gone and now it is Toast the chocolate labrador who sits in front of the Wells family stoves. With people the cornerstone of the company, it seems obvious that Ced names the mental wellbeing of wood burning as another huge factor in their success. “We, as humans, have been burning wood since the dawn of time – we sit around a fire and tell stories. It brings the family together, ignites all the senses and helps people switch off – analogue in this digital age – you can’t get this kind of thing from a radiator.”

Wellbeing is clearly important to the family. Hugh Wells, the Managing Director, says, “AJ Wells really is a story of hope. This is especially important at the moment when there is so much fear. We are lucky to be in the position to give people stable employment – it is an exciting time for the company, and we want to be able to channel that, to provide a beacon, a home and warmth in the face of fear.” Responsibility for their employees is something the family takes very seriously, and this was instilled in the company DNA by AJ Wells himself. “When we started,” says Hugh, “the main aim was to make enough money to enable us to eat and pay the mortgage. In one sense it hasn’t changed, only now – with around 180 employees – it’s more mouths to feed and more mortgages to pay.” It seems clear that, despite its international success, 50 years down the line AJ Wells has remained at its core a business about people not products. From anyone else this could sound like disingenuous marketing, but Ced Wells is so unalloyed and honest that it is not difficult to believe he truly means what he says. Keeping it in the family is truly the code of practice at AJ Wells, and that may well be their superpower.