‘I quit school to launch my football shirt business, and now I’m selling more than 1,000 tops a month to 74 countries across the world!’ Horncastle entrepreneur celebrates business’ fourth birthday with new website launch
Four years ago Louis Jones began selling mystery football tops to make a few quid after Covid curtailed his paper round. Today his business - which reaches more than 1,000 customers a month and employs six members of staff - is set to launch its brand new range.
It has been an incredible journey for the soccer-mad 20-year-old; one which has seen him ship to 74 countries across the globe, turn out for a top flight Caribbean club and become friends with a nation’s most-capped player.
Now, to mark the recent fourth birthday of Surprise Shirts, the business will today unveil its new look website, as well as some exciting additional ventures.
In an era when the high street and festivals have once again embraced retro and rare football tops as a must-have fashion accessory, Surprise Shirts has built a cult following by uniting customers with some of the most in demand and rare sportswear from across the globe.
And there’s an additional layer of intrigue for the punter as they have no idea what team - or design - they’ll be opening.
“Our target audience is divided into two halves, people who buy a football shirt to wear to six-a-side or on holiday, people who know they’re getting a crazy design from a crazy team they’ve probably never heard of,” explained Louis, whose Horncastle offices are packed with an array of bright, rare and often unique shirts.
“It’s a bit more interesting than buying yourself a Real Madrid or Barca shirt, it’s got a bit more of a fun factor.
“Increasingly the other half of that market is a gifting market. It’s the right price point where grandparents or aunties or uncles can buy it for their family.
“It’s got more intrigue than an Amazon or Next voucher.”
Today Surprise Shirts’ new website will include new ventures for the business including artwork and unique headwear.
Using some stock that have slight damage, the business has put together a line of reworked shirts as bucket hats, cushions and pencil cases.
There is also an option for customers to send in their old shirts to be turned into hats.
A range of shirt-inspired artwork will also go on sale for the first time.
For Louis - as well as mum Kelly and dad Rob, who now work full time for the company - the last four years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster journey.
“It started by me boxing up three shirts to sell to mates to make £20 a week when I couldn’t do my paper round because of Covid,” he explained.
“I began selling them on a fashion website Depop, but I soon got banned from selling shirts as they didn’t like the mystery box concept.
“It was a bedroom business while at school that started picking up momentum.”
While the concept went down well with pals and punters, others didn’t share the same levels of belief as the then-16-year-old entrepreneur, who was studying for his A-levels at Horncastle’s Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School.
"I came back on a Monday morning after half term to a business class and thought ‘what am I doing here? I have a business opportunity already’, and I left on the Wednesday,” he explained.
“When I came back to business class the teacher asked for a business idea for a warm-up exercise. I said what I was doing and he laughed and said that has no scalability. But it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Four years after that leap of faith Surprise Shirts shifts an average of 1,000-plus boxes a month, boasting more than 600 monthly subscribers, whose loyalty is rewarded by being placed into a monthly prize draw.
The latest top prize winner will secure tickets to a top-flight European derby match.
From the fifth tier of Thai football to a fish and chip-inspired kit worn by Welsh South League outfit Llantwit Major to Germany’s controversial pink diversity away shirt, tops are packaged into boxes, along with information about the shirt and some additional treats before being delivered across the globe daily.
During LincsOnline’s visit packages were being prepared to be shipped to the Minnesota and North Carolina in the USA - the company’s second-highest market behind the UK - Frankfurt in Germany and to a Spanish subscriber who orders three shirts per month.
To date, residents in 74 nations have gleefully unpackaged a Surprise Shirt, number 74 being Latvia and number 73 Brunei, all new countries marked on a giant map pinned to the office wall.
An order from 75th country Russia had to be cancelled due to trade restrictions enforced by the ongoing war in Ukraine while another currently-untapped market lies in China where strict internet rules makes it almost impossible for the company to market itself.
“We’re growing rapidly, this had been our best year to date,” said Louis, who comes from a family of Coventry City season ticket holders.
“We’ve gone through four years of learning and now we’re really understanding where we can take it.”
“It’s just happening at a pace you could never believe. We’ve got around 600 subscribers and that’s just growing.”
Louis believes that much of Surprise Shirts’ success comes down to its personal touches; from customer interactions to ensuring nobody receives an item that will land them in hot water.
“When we’re abroad and have an order from that area we’ll take it ourselves,” explained Louis, flashing a photo on his phone of him handing over an order to a beaming German customer in their kitchen.
“Its not a traditional relationship with an e-commerce brand, we’re personable. If you email me you get a response from me.
“You’re talking to us and buying from a family business. And we all love football.”
The shirts - which are sourced directly from clubs, brands and brokers across the globe - are available in sizes from three months to 5XL, all authentic, brand news and not previously worn.
“As a principal we don’t send you shirt from country you’re from,” Louis added.
“You can also name clubs you don’t want to get a shirt from.
“We make the most educated choices possible based on what we know about the customer. If we know you’re in Liverpool and don’t know which team you support we’ll avoid red and blue. If you’re in Glasgow there’s no way we’re going blue or green.
"We’ll take the knowledge available to ensure we get the best surprise possible for our customer and our information helps us to avoid sending similar shirts to a returning customer.
“We’re Coventry fans and they recently signed a player called Haji Wright from a Turkish club Antalyaspor. We got a good reaction getting some Antalyaspor shirts to Coventry fans using that link.”
Stock is sourced from ‘any level of football which is professionally run’, which has created some amazing opportunities for Louis and his family… most notably one in a small corner of the Caribbean.
“We sponsored a club called Uprising FC in Anguilla in the West Indies, which has a population of about 15,000,” he explained.
“Anguilla’s got the same sort of population as Louth. Imagine if Louth had 10 teams in a national league - what would the standard be like?
“I got to know the guys at the club and went on holiday with the intention that I’d register as a player, so technically I’m a top flight footballer, even if it sounds a dodgy claim.
“I got 10 minutes off the bech against reigning champions Doc’s United in the Anguilla President’s Cup in the national stadium.
“I went to block the ball and looked up and realised I was playing against Anguilla’s third highest appearance record holder and played with and against internationals.
“I’m now also the commercial director of the club.”
But it’s not just top flight Caribbean clubs that get the Surprise Shirts support, the business working with the junior section ofr Horncastle Town and also sponsoring the away strip sported by Louis’ Sunday league side Cherry Tree FC, early pacesetters in Division Three of the Lincoln & District Sunday League.
“I delivered a shirt to a teammate at training last night,” added Louis who, through his business has become good friends with Ildefons Lima, Andorra’s most capped international and shirt enthusiast who is keen to invite Louis over to see the collection of tops he has amassed by playing against some of the world’s top strikers.
“He was buzzing to open it.
“It’s crazy to walk through town and watch kids wearing shirts and thinking that must come from us.”
For dad Rob, working at Surprise Shirts has become a thrilling, lifechanging experience.
“We’re football obsessed and we work together as a family. It’s a dream,” he said.
“Louis has always been entrepreneurial. He’s absolutely the boss. He’s in charge. He’s off the scale.
“We never stop thinking about the business but we love it.”
Mum Kelly agrees.
“Talks always about football, all the time,” she said.
“We also have two girls, and one’s not so keen, but most of the time it’s football.”
Surprise Shirts’ new-look website will launch today (September 11) and can be visited at https://surpriseshirts.co.uk/ as well as via their social media pages.
Shirts cost £35.99 for adults and £27.99 for juniors.
“You can but a full Liverpool kit for £125 but if someone is just wearing the shirt for training a surprise shirt as its a quarter of the price and it’ll be different to what all your mates are wearing,” added Louis, whose favourite shirt of all is a black 201 kit belonging to Malaysian outfit Terengganu.
"I’ve been called a nerd for knowing that but it’s my favourite we’ve had. But the Uprising shirt has a place in by heart.”
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