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The Business Magazine July 2024
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Dragons' Den "reject" Trunki sold to e-commerce brand builder Heroes

The Business Magazine article image for: Dragons' Den
14 February 2023

The Bristol-based company Magmatic which is behind Trunki, the phenomenally successful ride-on toddler suitcase, which was famously rejected by the BBC' Dragons in their Den, has been sold to Heroes, a leading e-commerce company that acquires, operates, and scales baby, juvenile and maternity brands.

Rob Law, Trunki Founder and CEO, said: "Trunki has been around for over 16 years, since my £100k pitch was rejected on Dragons Den in 2006, I went on to secure a £3.9 million investment from the Business Growth Fund in 2013, now in 2023 we
have sold to Heroes and couldn’t be more excited for the next step in our journey.”

He added: “It became apparent after the first few discussions that Heroes was the right buyer for Trunki. The Bruni brothers’ vision for the brand was far more ambitious and creative than what other buyers presented. Whilst Trunki has been around for over 16 years, we couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter of our journey.

“Heroes believed in our vertically integrated UK manufacturing supply chain and shared our vision for future product development, whilst having the infrastructure to grow our US business."

Burges Salmon advised Trunki on the sale of its Magmatic business to e-commerce firm Heroes.

Trunki has a wide range of products designed to make travelling with children fun and enjoyable, and was established by Rob Law. The brand became well-known after its Trunki Ride On Suitcase featured on the UK television series Dragons' Den in 2006.

Heroes is a UK-based e-commerce company that acquires, operates and scales consumer brands in the baby, children and maternity sectors. It has acquired more than 30 brands since being founded in 2020. Heroes has said that it plans to support Trunki’s growth, investing heavily in the North American market along with further expansion in Europe.

The Burges Salmon team advising on the deal was led by senior associate Amy Carr, alongside partner Richard Spink, senior associates Neil Connor-McLaren and Shachi Nathdwarawala, and associate Chris Doherty, all from the firm’s Corporate team.

Amy Carr said: “We’re really pleased to have advised Rob and the Trunki team on this milestone transaction. We helped BGF on its original investment into Trunki so it is particularly pleasing to have been involved in this next stage of Trunki’s development. We wish Rob and the Heroes team every success in the next chapter of Trunki’s journey.”

Trevor Bell, Chairman of Magmatic Limited, added: “Heroes believed in our vision for the brand and future product development, and our UK manufacturing supply chain, whilst having the infrastructure to grow our US business. We are excited to have completed the deal."


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Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.

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