01502 712188 / 712114
W.J.Seppings
Butchers
In 2019 WJ Seppings celebrated 100 years of trading.
Seppings is a family run local Butchers.
We pride ourselves on serving Beccles and the surrounding community.
Our History
When William John Seppings arrived in Beccles during the First World War he little expected to settle in the Waveney Valley. A butcher by trade, learnt from his father who had a shop in Barney, North Norfolk, William was the eldest son and might have expected to take over his father’s business. His father in turn had learnt from his Grandfather; the Seppings family in Norfolk can trace their ancestry in butchery and cattle trading back to the 1760's.
William John was stationed at the army camp in the Beccles area and he became the camp butcher: during his years of service he built links with local farmers to supply meat, which were then to form the basis for his business after the war. This tradition of direct links with local meat suppliers continues to this day.
William married a local girl and his first shop premises were bought from his in-laws' family – the remains of ‘Iron and Brass Founders' lettering can still be seen above the Hungate shop front. During his lifetime he had shops in Kessingland and Southwold and he also bought the premises at 46 Blyburgate which was part of the business until August 2014. It is his recipe for 'Seppings Sausages' that is still used today – a secret combination of natural seasonings known only to a few members of staff.
On William's death in 1960, his second son, Roger Seppings, took over the business and developed it further, with shops in Worlingham and Denmark Road, Beccles . In the early 1980's Roger took the decision to close the slaughter house in the centre of the town rather than upgrading the premises to meet new EEC regulations; he also reduced the number of shops, focusing on modernising and renovating both the Hungate and Blyburgate shops. Upon his retirement in 1992 his second son, Robert Seppings, took over the business.
Robert began, like all Seppings sons, as a Saturday boy, making deliveries on the trade bike, a tradition and service still in place today. He started working full time in the business upon leaving school at 18 and his ambition is to complete his tenure at least until the centenary of the business in 2019
Andrew Wells
In October 2020 Andrew Wells took over from Robert Seppings as the new director.
Andrew is Roberts' nephew, he joined the company full time at the age of 20 in 2002 after completing a degree in Chemistry at the University of Leicester. Andrew has grown up around the Butchers shop learning from both Robert and his grandfather.
