Tom Pellereau, the winner of The Apprentice in 2011, has taken full ownership of his beauty technology company Stylpro by purchasing Lord Alan Sugar’s 50 per cent stake. The move concludes a 14-year partnership that began when Pellereau secured investment from Lord Sugar on the BBC reality series.
Mr Pellereau, the first winner to secure a cash investment and business partnership rather than a job, bought Lord Sugar’s 50 per cent share for an undisclosed sum. The original 2011 deal saw Lord Sugar invest £250,000 for his stake; Mr Pellereau described the buyout as a “significant return on Lord Sugar’s investment”.
Lord Sugar reflected on the partnership, stating: “Fourteen years after investing in Tom, I have agreed with Tom’s decision to purchase back my shares and return sole ownership to him.” He added that Pellereau had “gone on to build one of the UK’s fastest-selling electrical beauty-tech brands” and that it was “the right time to part ways”.
Mr Pellereau expressed gratitude for the mentorship, saying: “I will always be so grateful for the investment Lord Sugar made, and the potential he saw in me and my inventions. His time, knowledge and guidance have been invaluable.” He added that he looked back on the journey “with deep gratitude and happy memories”.
Stylpro specialises in innovative electrical beauty technology, including popular LED face masks and makeup brush cleaners, and its products are stocked in retailers across the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. In 2013, Pellereau also invented the Nipper Clipper, a safe nail-clipper for babies, co-launched with Lord Sugar.
