Peter Jones CBE
Peter Jones in 2012
Born	(1966-03-18) 18 March 1966 (age 59)^[1] Langley, Buckinghamshire, England
Occupations	Entrepreneur television personality
Known for	Dragons' Den American Inventor Tycoon Shark Tank
Partner	Tara Capp^[2]
Children	5
Website	www.peterjones.com

Peter David Jones CBE (born 18 March 1966) is an English entrepreneur, businessman, investor, and reality television personality, with interests in mobile phones, television, media, leisure, retail, publishing and property.^[3] He is the last remaining original investor on the BBC One series Dragons' Den,^[4] and has appeared on other television programmes with similar formats including Shark Tank in the United States.

Early life

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Jones lived in Langley (at that time in Buckinghamshire),^[5] before moving to Maidenhead in Berkshire when he was seven. He attended Desborough School and then The Windsor Boys' School.^[6]

Business career

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Jones set up a business in which he made personal computers under his own brand when he was 16 years old. However, he lost £200,000 after deciding to sell it to IBM^{[clarification needed]}. In an interview with The Times, Jones said his computer business failed in his twenties; he lost his four-bedroom home in Bray and his cars, and had to move back in with his parents.^[7] He then joined Siemens Nixdorf, where he eventually ran the UK arm of the computer division.^[8]

In his mid-twenties, he opened a cocktail bar in Windsor inspired by the Tom Cruise film Cocktail.^{[citation needed]}

After Siemens' acquisition, he set up his next venture, Phones International Group, in April 1998.^[9]

Jones founded several businesses between 1998 and 2007, including 10telecom which he later sold to Vodafone; Data Select, which became a distributor of mobile phones and was acquired by Westcoast Group;^[10] Wines4Business.com,^[11] an online retailer specialising in the sale of wine and champagne to corporate clients; and Celsius Resourcing, a recruitment business specialising in biotechnologists.^[12] In the summer of 2005, Jones, together with Theo Paphitis, a fellow panellist on Dragons' Den, bought gift experience company Red Letter Days from another panellist Rachel Elnaugh, under whose ownership it had collapsed.^[13]

In 2005, he founded The Peter Jones Foundation, a charity to support the advancement of education in young people, particularly through teachings of enterprise and entrepreneurship.^[14] He opened the doors to the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy after developing Britain's first BTEC qualification in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.^[15]

In 2009, Jones founded the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA, formerly NEA) to teach entrepreneurial capabilities within the UK. PJEA has several campuses including Amersham, Sheffield, Manchester, Southend and Oxford. In November 2013, it was reported that a new Peter Jones Enterprise Academy was to be opened in Leamington through Warwickshire College. Pupils were taught how to enhance a company or key skills for becoming a successful entrepreneur. The academy was to offer the BTEC Level 3 Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at both its Leamington and Rugby campuses.^[16]

According to his website, some of his investments in businesses which appeared on Dragons' Den include luxury lifestyle and culture Wonderland magazine; Square Mile International, which provides data services for marinas and was later sold to BT; contemporary circus company The Generating Company; Synthetic Genomics; iTeddy; and Reggae Reggae Sauce.^[17]

He founded the TV production company Hungry Bear Media, which he left in 2021; and continues to own another TV production company, Peter Jones TV. He has several property investments including commercial offices, a Portuguese villa which he bought from DJ Chris Evans^[7] and a property in Beverly Hills, California, as well as properties in Barbados and Switzerland.^[18]

Jones sold part of Phones International Group, Wireless Logic, for £38 million in 2011,^[19]^[20]^[21] retaining the Data Select part.^[20]^[22]

In 2013, Jones became the main investor and owner of photographic retailer Jessops.^[23] His investment company owns Partner Retail Services, which operates Samsung Experience stores in the UK and provides electronics retail services to Jessops and other retailers.^[24]

In August 2017, it was reported that Jones and his Dragon's Den and Red Letter Days partner Theo Paphitis were almost scammed by an accountant who forged cheques over a two-month period.^[25]

Television and media

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Dragons' Den

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Jones is the sole remaining original Dragon on the BBC's Dragons' Den, which started in January 2005 and has continued with a new series approximately yearly. Jones had regular conflicts in the Den with former Dragon Duncan Bannatyne, who appeared on the show from 2005 to 2014.^[26]

American Inventor

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He sold his television show idea called The Inventor to the American Broadcasting Company, resulting in American Inventor, which was co-produced by Fremantle, Simon Cowell and Peter Jones Television.^[17] Two series of the show were made in 2006^[27] and 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Tycoon

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After signing a "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV to appear as their new "face" of business programming, on 21 September 2006 Jones appeared on GMTV to talk about Dragons' Den and his new ITV show Tycoon, based on American Inventor and produced by the Peter Jones Television company. Five episodes were broadcast in June and July 2007.^[28] Tycoon also inspired Tycoon in Schools, a nationwide youth enterprise competition which began in 2012^[29] and as of 2023^[update] continues under the name Tycoon Enterprise Competition, supported by the Peter Jones Foundation.^[30]

Shark Tank

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In 2020, Jones appeared as a Shark on the American series Shark Tank and is now a recurring Shark on the programme.^[31]

Other television work

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In January 2010, Jones appeared alongside his Dragons' Den co-stars Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden in the fifth episode of the sixth series of Hustle. Jones appeared in ITV2's Celebrity Juice in May 2010, and James Corden's World Cup Live in June. In November 2010, Jones was a guest panellist in the BBC quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and in The Magicians in January 2011. Jones has twice participated in the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment of Top Gear, once on his own and once with fellow Dragons' Den judge Theo Paphitis.

Jones took over from Gordon Ramsay as the face of BT Business in 2008.^[32] Jones is also the Ambition Ambassador for the business software company Sage Group and appears in their television advertising as well as being a customer of the company.^[33]

Honours

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Jones was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours, for services to business, entrepreneurship and young people.^[34]

Personal life

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Jones is separated from his first wife Caroline, with whom he has two children.^[35] He lives in Buckinghamshire with his partner Tara; they have three children.^[5]

He owns several classic and luxury sports cars.^[7]

He is a supporter of Chelsea FC.

References

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^ Alcock, Beth. "Peter Jones net worth: Whopping fortune the Dragons' Den star has made from businesses". Express UK.
^ "Peter Jones: 'My kids aren't getting my money. They don't need it'". The Telegraph. 8 July 2016.
^ "List of companies related to Peter David Jones". Cbetta.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
^ "Duncan Bannatyne quits Dragons' Den". BBC News. 8 July 2014.
^ ^a ^b "World of Peter Jones, entrepreneur". The Telegraph. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
^ "Peter Jones Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hussain, Ali (29 July 2007). "Tycoon's costly bid to outdo Tom Cruise". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
^ "My first million: Peter Jones". Financial Times. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
^ "Peter Jones - Dragon's Den Special". Seriously Business. 23 November 2006. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009 – via Internet Archive.
^ Hart, Jasper (27 September 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Westcoast takeover of Data Select complete, say Companies House docs". www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
^ "Peter Jones | Biography, Pictures and Facts". Famous Entrepreneurs. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
^ "CELCIUS RESOURCING LIMITED – Officers (free information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^ James, Laura (28 June 2019). "Rachel Elnaugh lifts the lid on her failed multi-million pound business". Business Live. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
^ "The Peter Jones Foundation, registered charity no. 1110288". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
^ "Peter Jones CBE | Shark Tank". ABC. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
^ "Peter Jones inspiration at new course at Warwickshire College's Leamington site". Leamingtoncourier.co.uk.
^ ^a ^b "Peter Jones > About". Peterjones.tv. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
^ McClain, James. "How a $7 million house became a $32 million vacant lot in less than 10 years". Dirt.com. DIRT. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^ Tyler, Richard (15 August 2011). "Peter Jones sells Wireless Logic to create war chest". The Daily Telegraph. London.
^ ^a ^b "Phones International Group". Phonesintgroup.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
^ "About Us". Dataselect.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
^ "Data Select". Peterjones.com. 30 December 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
^ "Jessops brand sold to Dragon's Den's Peter Jones". BBC News. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "About Us". PRS& – Partner Retail Services. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
^ Ash Percival (7 August 2017). "'Dragons' Den' Stars Peter Jones And Theo Paphitis Conned Out Of £33,000 By Corrupt Employee". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
^ McNeil, Robert (5 January 2005). "Beware the wrath of fire-breathing dragons". Living.scotsman.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
^ Colin, Mahan (17 March 2006). "ABC is a hit Inventor". TV.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 – via Internet Archive.
^ "ITV yanks 'Tycoon' from prime slot". Digital Spy. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
^ "Peter Jones announces Tycoon in Schools 2014 launch". Startups.co.uk. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
^ "Tycoon". www.tycoon.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^ "Peter Jones CBE: Recurring Shark". ABC.
^ Sweney, Mark (22 April 2008). "Peter Jones replaces Gordon Ramsay in BT ads". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
^ "Sage appoints Peter Jones as Ambition Ambassador". London Loves Business. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 7.
^ Alexander, Lucy (1 May 2006). "The face". The Times. London.^{[dead link]}

External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter Jones (entrepreneur).