Our Why
Focus on the sweet side
of life.
We're a family-run British sweet shop — built around a boy called Wilfred, a belief in small joys, and a promise to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Our storyA note from Tim
Every sweet shop has a story. Most are about sweets. Ours starts with a boy who needed 30 brain surgeries before he was eight years old — and a family that decided the best response to life’s hardest moments was to find the joy in them, and share it.
The short version
Who. What.
Who
A family sweet shop, built from the inside out.
Wilfreds was started by Tim and his dad Nigel. Not as a plan, not as a strategy — as a response. A response to needing something to hold onto, and realising that sweets had always been that thing for their family.
What
Pick & mix done properly. Quality over quantity, always.
We sell British pick & mix and confectionery from brands you know — Swizzels, Haribo, Kingsway, Bonds. Every product earns its place. We’re not trying to sell you everything. Just the right things.
2010
Founded
4
Physical shops
30+
Wilf’s surgeries
10%
Profits to GOSH
Why Wilfreds?
Named after
the main man.
Wilfred Frankie was born in 2017. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with Crouzon Syndrome — a rare condition affecting the development of the skull. The bones fuse too early. The brain still needs to grow.
Eight years on, Wilf has had over 30 brain surgeries. Each one necessary. Each one terrifying. Each one saving his life.
He is Tim’s nephew. Nigel’s grandson. And when we were sitting around trying to think of a name for this business — something that stood for everything we were doing it for — there was only ever one answer.
“Wilf is a fighter. He is tough — tough as one could be. Lovely with it, the light of our lives. Forever our inspiration.”
— Nigel, Grandpa WilfA handwritten note goes inside every single Wilfreds parcel. It tells Wilf’s story. It explains where a portion of your money goes. Because we don’t want that to feel like small print.
“There is always a silver lining. Always.” — Tim
Crouzon Syndrome
What Wilf lives with every day.
Crouzon Syndrome is a genetic condition where the bones of the skull fuse prematurely. As the brain grows, pressure builds. Surgery is the only option — and for Wilf, it’s been a lifelong reality.
The FaceValue unit at GOSH specialises in conditions exactly like Wilf’s. Their surgeons, nurses and researchers don’t just treat — they push the boundaries of what’s possible.
30+
Surgeries
8
Years old
1
Reason we exist
Giving back
Wilfred’s GOSH Sweet Fund.
Three live fundraising initiatives, funded by every purchase you make. The more you shop, the more we give.
£25
The Wilfred Drop
A mystery box of treats sent to someone at GOSH who needs a little joy
£250
Creative Joy Kit
Distraction packs for children on long hospital stays — art, games, comfort
£2,823
The Games Station
A hospital-safe Nintendo Switch setup for a ward — because long days deserve some play
Every Wilfreds order contributes. You don’t have to do anything extra — just shop. A portion of every purchase goes directly toward these initiatives.
Visit GOSH →The full story
Our history & the shops.
From a single shop to four locations across England — and then the move online. Everything that’s made Wilfreds what it is today.
2010
Uxbridge
The Pavilions Shopping Centre
Now closedWest London. Our first proper shopping centre location. A different customer, a faster pace — and the same love of a well-stocked jar of pick & mix. Taught us what scale felt like.
2011
Aylesbury
Friars Square Shopping Centre
Now closedOur second shopping centre location. Building on what Uxbridge taught us, Aylesbury let us test and refine the model further.
2012
Stratford-upon-Avon
Henley Street, town centre
Now closedShakespeare’s town. A tourist destination that drew visitors from all over the world — and turned many of them into pick & mix converts.
2015
Cambridge
9 Kings Parade — opposite King’s College
Now closedSteps from King’s College Chapel on the most famous street in Cambridge. The most characterful of the four — and the one that felt most like what Wilfreds was always meant to be.
2017
Wilfred is born.
The eldest grandchild. The one who so much anchored from. The moment that changes everything — and the reason the business will one day bear his name.
2020
Wilfreds is born — the brand.
We’d been trading as part of the Mr Simms franchise for years. But Wilf had arrived, and everything had shifted. He was the eldest grandchild — the one the whole family anchored from. The new name wasn’t a decision. It was obvious. We became Wilfreds.
2022
The physical shops close.
In a post-Covid world, our customers were shopping differently. Online was the way forward for us — and if we were honest, it had been for a while. We closed the shops and committed fully to where our customers actually were.
2023
Rebuilt properly.
Stepped back. Rethought the whole thing. New Shopify platform, new product range, new purpose — leaner, clearer, better.
Now
Wilfreds today.
An online British sweet shop with a charitable mission. Every order ships with a handwritten note and a portion going to GOSH. Wilf is still the whole point.
The people behind it
Meet the team.
Small team. Big purpose. Every person here understands what Wilfreds is really for.
Names and photos coming soon. We’re a small team doing a big thing. If you want to get in touch — whether about an order, a partnership, or just to say hello — drop us a message.
✕
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