Dragon's Den investor Theo Paphitis bought Ryman in 1995.
Ryman is a British stationery retailer, and its acquisition helped establish Paphitis as a prominent retail entrepreneur before he became a television investor. He later expanded his business interests through other retail brands and became widely known to British audiences through Dragon's Den.
The Ryman purchase is sometimes mixed up with Paphitis's later involvement in retailers such as La Senza and Robert Dyas. Those businesses formed part of his broader commercial career, but Ryman is the company specifically associated with his 1995 acquisition.
Paphitis joined Dragon's Den as a dragon in the second series. His background in high-street retail gave him a distinctive perspective on branding, distribution and customer demand during entrepreneur pitches.