From mystery kits to global hits: Dragons’ Den investment winner unveils big plans
South Normanton-based Mystery Jersey King is setting its sights on global expansion after securing a £50,000 investment from Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies.
In an interview with TheBusinessDesk.com, founder Alex Street revealed plans to open another hub, with ambitions to establish a physical presence in the USA, where the company already has a huge customer base.
The company currently ships to 53 countries—and as the company approaches its fourth birthday on February 16, it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Street said: “We currently ship to the USA from our UK hub, and our client base in the USA is huge, so that would naturally be our next step. Talking about expanding overseas, there are certainly other places on the radar, including Dubai and Australia.
“With the Football World Cup and Olympics coming up, there are plenty of opportunities, and securing this investment has put us in a great position to take advantage.”
The investment has already allowed the company to work with higher-quality manufacturers, improving the authentic football shirts it offers to customers.
Founded during lockdown, the business was inspired by Street and his business partner’s tradition of exchanging random football shirts. This led to the mystery shirt concept—where customers receive surprise, authentic kits from around the world.
Since launching in 2021, the company has grown into an online shop offering both one-off purchases and a mystery shirt subscription.
Street continued: “Another key step for the company is refining how we match people with their mystery shirts. With the rise of AI and technology, it makes sense to explore how these tools could better align shirts with customer preferences, whether they favour bigger teams or something more niche, so that is certainly another step we want to look at.”
With global expansion, improved manufacturers and plans to incorporate AI thanks to the Dragons’ Den investment, Street aims to solidify Mystery Jersey King as a major player in the football merchandise market.
