There is no time like the present to launch a new business
Seasoned viewers of BBC’s Dragon’s Den maybe surprised to learn that one of the presenters, Duncan Bannatyne, has a feminine side to his character. You would think with his hard Glaswegian exterior and tendency to dismiss the contestants, that he would be the last of the Dragons team to make these admissions. Within this smart and understated luxury apartment in Covent Garden, London, something is not as you might expect. In between the elegance of the cream sofas in the lounge and the minimilistic style of the kitchen, sits a chair dear to his heart – a garishly loud pink sofa!
Looking closer, he seems quite a dapper sort of man, even chic – the cut of the suit seems better than the tighter Theo Paphitis and the dour Peter Jones. You also get the sense that he is aware of it!
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that his latest venture is into the world of style, with the launch of a snappy line of mens watches marketed under the name ‘Kurt Zeiss’. The designs are very much contemporary in style, with clear, large faces in designs that combine futuristic sleekness with elegance. With this range of men watches and ladies designer watches, Bannatyne and new business partner Grant Morgan, clearly aren’t messing around. Or maybe not? They don’t seem to be in much of a hurry to sell the products, as they are mainly sold on eBay and by Bannatynes wife in their boutique in Yarm, Yorkshire. Since Morgan’s arrival, a new ecommerce website has been produced providing a platform for the range.
Bannatyne met Morgan at a charity event, and both realised that they had a common interest in watches, and Bannatyne admitted that he felt the business was no great risk.
From a slow start, they have seen an increase in sales and the outlook for the next quarter is positive. The run in to Christmas should be the busiest time of the year, and at the company are preparing themselves for the extra demand.
If the Kurt Zeiss business is purely vanity, it is certainly a successful one for a person who is used to seeing a good propostion. Worth £320m, Bannatyne is easily the richest of his fellow Dragons, on the back of business empire that begun with the acquisition of a single ice cream van two decades ago.
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