Dragons' Den star to open Newark Beacon!

Theo Paphitis, well-respected entrepreneur and star of the successful BBC series Dragons' Den, will officially open the Newark Beacon business innovation centre in Newark on Thursday 13 September 2007.

Theo is an inspiration to anyone wishing to start in business. He has proved that pure grit and determination make anything possible. His own career started at the age of 16 as a tea boy/insurance filing clerk. At the age of 18 he had his first experience of the retail world before moving into finance - property and corporate, specialising in turnarounds. He set up his own company at the age of 23.

In the following years he purchased and turned around ailing companies like Ryman the Stationer, Contessa and La Senza lingerie chains, and Partners the Stationer and experience company, Red Letter Days. He has turned these companies into successful, solid and profitable retail businesses.

The Newark Beacon may be a new build and a place for innovation and creativity, however this is not new to the site - it has a history! Many years ago it was home to Cafferata & Company, hence the Cafferata Way address.

In 1862 William Cafferata, a Liverpool stockbroker, was looking for a company to invest in. He decided to purchase land and buildings, originally owned by the Newark Plaster Company, at Beacon Hill, Newark. This included a newly built gypsum and plaster mill with quarries and mines adjacent, along with a brick works and boiler plant. One of the products developed was the Cafferata Brick. The company was eventually bought out by British Gypsum and the site is now home to the Newark Beacon. However, many of the houses in Newark are built with these bricks, so the Cafferata legacy lives on!

Mike Robinson, Economic Regeneration Manager at Newark & Sherwood District Council said "We are delighted that the Newark Beacon is finally open for business after many months of hard work and careful planning. It is a credit to Newark and a fantastic base for new and existing businesses to develop and grow. We are also excited that Theo Paphitis has agreed to support the Newark Beacon by officially opening the centre.“

He added “Newark Beacon epitomises innovation from the past, present and future. The past being Cafferata & Co, the present being Theo and the future being our new tenants”.