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Football shirt entrepreneur bags Dragons' Den cash

BBC Image of Alex Street inside the Den on the BBC show. He is wearing a dark navy suit with a grey waistcoat.BBC
Alex Street, who runs a business in South Normanton, scored a £50,000 investment after appearing on Dragons' Den on Thursday

An entrepreneur who sells football shirts in "mystery boxes" has netted a £50,000 investment on the BBC's Dragons' Den.

Alex Street, who started Mystery Jersey King, based in South Normanton in Derbyshire, in 2021, managed to impress the panel, securing a funding boost from Dragon Sara Davies in exchange for 15% of the business.

The company offers distinctive shirts from across the globe to customers through one-off purchases or a monthly "mystery shirt" subscription.

Mr Street said: "I was nervous walking into the Den, but I decided to stay true to myself and have fun with it."

Image of Alex Street inside the Den. A wider shot showing a selection of different football shirts hung. Dragons Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies and Touker Suleyman look on.
Mr Street said he was nervous walking into the Den but had prepared well for the meeting

A lifelong football fan, Mr Street said his passion for rare and authentic shirts began during childhood.

His father started the tradition of purchasing shirts from every destination they visited, sparking his fascination with unique kits, and he decided to take the plunge in the business world setting up his online venture.

On his time in the Den, Mr Street said: "I knew my numbers and had rehearsed as much as possible. Securing backing from Sara Davies 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."

Davies told the entrepreneur in Thursday night's show that the stake in the company will fall to 10% once she recoups her investment.

Supplied Selfie of Sara Davies and Alex StreetSupplied
Sara Davies said she would also offer expertise to the company in trying to make a breakthrough in the US

"Alex is such a character, and his enthusiasm lit up the room the moment he walked in," Davies added.

"His vibrant, eye-catching products immediately grabbed our attention, but what really impressed me was his savvy business sense and the massive potential of his idea.

"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."

Mr Street and business co-founder, Jamie King, plan to use the investment to "optimise operations and boost their buying power" and aim to expand their customer base.

You can watch the episode and Mr Street's pitch to the Dragons on the BBC iPlayer here.

Mystery Jersey King A Mystery Jersey King box with a range of the shirts available.Mystery Jersey King
Mr Street and Mystery Jersey King co-founder, Jamie King, say they plan to use the investment to optimise operations and boost their buying power

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