Deborah Meaden ‘saved the day’ for a husband-and-wife team when they pitched their business Rehome on Dragons’ Den tonight.
Phil and Helen Lord were third to pitch in episode 6 of the series and explained their online marketplace for ‘pre-loved’ kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms to the Dragons.
Founded in 2015, it enables homeowners, interior designers and retailers to resell high-end interiors to buyers at a fraction of the cost. They had the idea after buying a used kitchen for just £5k.
Looking for £100k for 5% of the business – which is a B-Corp – they said it does not hold kitchen stock and takes a 30% commission on sales. However it does hold some second-hand kitchen appliance stock, which is sold via a dropshipping model.
Entering the Den, the couple – from Widnes in Cheshire – joked that “it’s a challenge spending 24 hours a day with your wife” and “he still wants his lunch making every day”.
But they were not laughing when the Dragons questioned why, despite generating around £2 million revenue a year, they were only now breaking even after making a loss of more than £500k two years before filming.
The answer: website development, wage costs, advertising, licensing fees… and consultancy fees.
The Dragons were incredulous, with Peter Jones remarking: “It’s almost impossible to invest in a business like this when you’re running it.”
Steven Bartlett admired the amount of revenue they are generating, but also said it is uninvestable; guest Dragon Susie Ma said it is not an area she is passionate about; and Touker Suleyman said that after 10 years of incorporation they don’t have room for an investor.
However Meaden wanted to know what would change to turn revenue growth into profit, with Peter Lord answering that they can double turnover without spending more money.
Despite worrying about their decision-making processes – saying “I can’t be there to help you make them every day” – she offered the money for 15%, and they instantly agreed.
Outside the Den, Helen Lord said: “There were some honest opinions… then Deborah rode in at the end to save the day!
“I’m delighted that she’s coming on board to help us.”
Also winning investment was Ben McGirr, founder of Kompo.
Launched in 2025, Kompo is a countertop food composter that dries and grinds kitchen scraps into an odour-free material that can be used as plant fuel via a dual charcoal filter.
The £249 gadget, which only uses 20p of electricity per cycle, claims to reduce the volume of food waste by up to 80% in four to eight hours.
Irish entrepreneur McGirr wanted £86k for 20% of the business and agreed a deal with Ma at 35%.
Former M&S exec named CEO at Primark as H&M figure also joins
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