Dragons’ Den legend Sara Davies has taken a “meaningful” stake in online retailer Not On The High Street.
The Crafter’s Companion founder has also joined the board of the 20-year-old eCommerce platform as a non-executive director as it eyes a turnaround.
She told the Press Association that the eCommerce platform was culling its website of “cheap tat” and mass-produced items in favour of British-made artisan gifts.
Davies, who starred on BBC show Dragons’ Den between 2019 and 2025, said: “We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and there are customers who are shopping on Temu and Shein, and that’s what’s appropriate for them and their spending at the moment.
“But there’s a whole different wave of customers who want to buy quality, artisan, handmade, personalised products, and it’s those customers we want to reach.
“People in the UK are really rebelling against this fast-fashion culture.
“They are being more thoughtful and considered in what they’re buying, so they’re not wanting to buy the cheap tat… this is not where you will find all that mass-produced, cheap rubbish.”
Who’s pitching on Dragons’ Den tonight? Zeno, Limitless Live, ArrowHeadz, Moonji
Based in Bristol, NOTHS has 4,000 sellers on its platform and around 350,000 products – including jewellery, clothes, homeware and garden furnishings.
It was bought by German private equity firm Executive Equity Partners at the start of the year, with Pascal Schuster installed as chief executive as it looks to recover its former glories.
The firm’s revenues have fallen every year since the COVID pandemic and it recently underwent a restructuring.