As part of a weekly series, BusinessCloud is highlighting updates from some of the companies featured in our Founder 250 list.
The UK-wide list celebrates 250 of the country’s best founder-led and founder-influenced businesses.
RSM UK is the headline sponsor of Founder 250, alongside law firm CG, property specialist OBI and investor Mercia Ventures.
1. AO snaps up Jessops from Dragons’ Den star
Online electrical retailer AO has acquired Jessops, a leading specialist photography retailer, from Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones CBE.
The acquisition comes just a month after the Bolton-based eCommerce launched AO Mobile, promising ‘no gimmicks’ and plans from as little as £12 a month.
Now the business, which was launched by John Roberts in 2000 on the back of a £1 bet, has expanded into photography with the deal for Jessops.
Roberts said: “I am delighted to welcome Jessops into the AO family and look forward to growing the existing business as well as integrating the category into the wider AO business. Our plan is clear and we will keep delivering on it.”
2. Gymshark to open first public gym
Gymshark, the cult fitness community and apparel brand founded by Ben Francis, is preparing to open its first-ever public gym.
The Gymshark Lifting Club (GSLC Miami) will open in Miami’s Wynwood district, marking another significant expansion for the global fitness brand.
Ben Francis MBE, founder and CEO, Gymshark
Gymshark already operates a Lifting Club at its UK headquarters, but that facility was created primarily for employees and their associates.
Francis shared a photo of himself at the site of the new Miami gym on Instagram and said: “I’ve seen this come to life over the last few months and I genuinely can’t wait for all you to experience it.”
3. Brennan celebrates 20-year landmark
Congratulations to serial entrepreneur Craig Brennan on the 20th anniversary of his first business LSC, which is a national provider of PPA cover and out-of-school clubs.
LSC started in 2006 as a children’s football coaching business for U5s and has grown to 280 staff and is now working with 200+ primary schools.
Brennan has also gone on to found Nurtured Childcare and owns 50- per cent of a private dental business.
4. Fuse Energy: Cut red tape to slash energy bills
Fuse Energy has published a policy manifesto setting out the changes it believes are needed from Government to unlock ‘energy abundance’ in the UK.
Fuse Energy was founded in 2022 by former Revolut executives Alan Chang and Charles Orr.
Alan Chang & Charles Orr, Fuse Energy
The company aims to eliminate many of the inefficiencies in traditional energy models that it says drive up costs for consumers.
Its manifesto calls for a series of reforms including enforcing planning decision deadlines, as well as backing the removal of VAT on household electricity.
5. Bella Hadid comes calling for UK fashion brand
What do you do when the team of a world-famous model with 59m Instagram followers calls with an urgent request?
That was the scenario facing Anne Dempsey, who launched occasionwear and fashion brand Anne Louise Dempsey from her spare bedroom in 2020.
The company previously caused a stir when Holly Willoughby and Amanda Holden both stepped out in the same ALB dress on the same morning.
Now Dempsey has revealed how Bella Hadid’s stylist came calling for an ALB – but there was a problem.
She recalled: “The cape they needed was sold out. Not ‘low stock’. Gone.
“This is the part of running a small brand nobody sees on Instagram. It’s not the glamour of a celebrity request — it’s the two hours that follow it, chasing suppliers, refreshing inboxes, willing the impossible into a ‘yes’.
“I called our factory. Explained the situation. And they didn’t just say they’d try – they turned it around and got it done in time.
“That’s the bit I want to shout about. Not the name, not the moment — the team behind it. Because a founder can build the vision, but it’s the people who show up when the deadline is impossible that actually make it real.”
6. OneDome takes integrated homebuying to Channel 4
OneDome, the UK’s first housing and FinTech AI-powered super app, has launched a national TV campaign on Channel 4.
The idea for OneDome was born out of Babek Ismayil’s experience when he tried to buy his first home in London.
Babek Ismayil, CEO of OneDome
Ismayil previously worked for J.P.Morgan and after spending months viewing properties, he found the perfect family home only to find someone else had bought the house at the 11th hour.
The experience cost him thousands of pounds and inspired him to launch OneDome.
The purpose of the Channel 4 campaign is to introduce the concept of integrated homebuying.
7. Jesse Lingard-backed MAGIC AI raises £8m
MAGIC AI, the business behind the MAGIC AI Mirror, has closed an £8m Series B funding round to accelerate its expansion in the US and capitalise on the booming AI fitness market.
The company says the investment is the largest funding round for an AI fitness business this year and comes after MAGIC AI was named the fourth fastest-growing hardware company by The Sunday Times.
MAGIC AI was founded by CEO Varun Bhanot, while former Manchester United and England footballer Jesse Lingard is an investor, brand ambassador and on-screen trainer.