Alex Street, founder of Mystery Jersey King, captivated the Dragons on the hit BBC show with his venture which sees him and his team sourcing rare and authentic football shirts from across the globe to meet the growing demand from fans of all ages and backgrounds.
The online retail business, which has enjoyed steady year-on-year growth since its launch in 2021, delivers high-quality, distinctive shirts to customers through one-off purchases or a monthly ‘mystery shirt’ subscription.
Sara was impressed by the original concept and Alex’s passion, offering £50,000 for a 15 per cent stake in the business, which will reduce to 10 per cent once her initial investment is recouped.
Alex, inspired to apply after watching an episode of Dragons’ Den, embraced his favorite mantra: 'if you don’t shoot, you don’t score'.
His pitch resonated with Sara, earning him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to scale his business with her expertise.
Alex says: “I was nervous walking into the den, but I decided to stay true to myself and have fun with it.
"I knew my numbers and had rehearsed as much as possible.
"Securing backing from Sara Davies, the ‘Queen of the North,’ is a dream come true.
"She’s the perfect partner to help take Mystery Jersey King to the next level.
“Our UK success has been incredible, and our next big challenge is cracking the US market.
"Since Sara is already a household name stateside, I’m confident we’ll make it happen.”
Sara Davies added: “Alex is such a character, and his enthusiasm lit up the room the moment he walked in. His vibrant, eye-catching products immediately grabbed our attention.
“With an endless supply of unique shirts that sport and fashion fans adore, Mystery Jersey King has global appeal.
"I’m thrilled to join Alex on this journey and can’t wait to help scale the business.”
Alex and Mystery Jersey King co-founder, Jamie King, plan to use the investment to optimise operations at the Normanton-based business and boost their buying power, ensuring they can continue delivering exceptional shirts to their ever-growing customer base.
