Teddington entrepreneur Joe Metcalfe make his pitch on Dragons' Den tonight

By The Editor 5th Nov 2021

Teddington entrepreneur Joe Metcalfe faces interrogation on Dragons' Den tonight
Teddington entrepreneur Joe Metcalfe faces interrogation on Dragons' Den tonight

Former Teddington schoolboy turned entrepreneur Joe Metcalfe makes a "nerve-racking" appearance on TV's Dragon's Den tonight to appeal for support for his business selling second-hand clothes which he reckons could be worth £100 million a year.

Joe, aged 32, who attended St James's School in Twickenham, King's College, Wimbledon and then Cambridge University, set up a company called Thrift+ which attempts to bring charity shops online to sell second-hand clothes through a click and collect scheme and app.

After his appearance, which can be seen on BBC2 at 9pm tonight (Sunday) Joe said: "When I walked out of the Den, I couldn't believe how physically tired I was. Then one of the producers told me I had been standing on the same spot for over 2 hours answering questions from the Dragons.

"It was genuinely the most exhausting, nerve racking, and exhilarating experience of my life. I would never do it again, but I'm so glad I did. Watch this Sunday on BBC 2 at 9pm to see whether any of the Dragons decided to take a trip to dreamland."

Joe's reference to 'dreamland' follows a cutting remark by Dragon's Den team member Touker Suleyman, the retail entrepreneur, who is sceptical of Joe's confidence in being able to sell 200.000 items a week and make £100m with one third of revenue going to charity each year.

Joe tells the programme: "I am excited about being one of the biggest retailers in the country." But Touker Suleyman tells him bluntly: "I think you're in dreamland!"

Joe, who left his job in 2014 with a single-minded mission to bring charity shops online, said: "Thrift+ is founded on the belief that charity shoppers deserve the same quality shopping experience as regular shoppers. In fact, they deserve better!"

In 2015, he built & launched the UK's first Click & Collect app for high street charity shops. Since then, he has been working to create a service that encourages high quality donations by offering convenience and rewarding generosity.

He says: "The vision is to create the single best destination to shop for second-hand clothes. By bringing online charity shopping up to the same level as Amazon and Asos, we can make it a truly unstoppable force for good."

Trailer for Dragons' Den tonight

     

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