Tags Crisps Net Worth Update: The Dragons’ Den Deal That Fell Through
Tags Crisps walked out of Dragons’ Den with a £125,000 deal from Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden — but it never completed. The company (Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd) was dissolved in March 2020, so its net worth today is effectively £0. Here is the full, corrected update.
TL;DRTags Crisps (Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd) was a premium British crisp brand founded in 2012 by John Tague, the former managing director of Seabrook Crisps, in Liverpool. On Dragons’ Den UK Series 13 (filmed March 2015, aired August 2015) Tague asked for £125,000 for 5% and triggered a bidding war; he agreed on air to give 30% for £125,000, split between Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones. The deal fell through during due diligence because Tague wanted written commitments the Dragons would not give, so no investment was ever made. The business then pivoted from supermarkets to foodservice (coffee shops, hotels, pubs and Virgin Trains first class), but TAG’S SNACK FOODS LIMITED (company number 08038937) was dissolved via voluntary strike-off on 17 March 2020. Tags Crisps’ net worth today is therefore effectively £0. Earlier “£2,000,000 net worth” claims are inaccurate.
Quick answer: Tags Crisps walked into Dragons’ Den in 2015 asking for £125,000 for 5%, sparked a bidding war, and shook hands on a £125,000-for-30% deal with Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones. But the deal fell through in due diligence and no money was ever invested. The company — Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd — was dissolved on 17 March 2020, so the Tags Crisps net worth today is effectively £0.
| Company | Tags Crisps (Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd), a premium British potato-crisp brand |
| Founder | John Tague — former managing director of Seabrook Crisps |
| Founded | 2012, Liverpool, UK |
| Show | Dragons’ Den UK, Series 13 (filmed March 2015, aired August 2015) |
| The ask | £125,000 for 5% (implied £2.5m valuation) |
| On-air deal | £125,000 for 30% — Deborah Meaden & Peter Jones (15% each) |
| Did the deal complete? | No — it fell through during due diligence |
| Company status today | Dissolved (voluntary strike-off, 17 March 2020) |
| Net worth today | Effectively £0 (no longer trading) |
Tags Crisps net worth: the quick answer
People searching “Tags Crisps net worth” usually want to know what the brand was worth and whether it’s still going. The honest, up-to-date answer is that Tags Crisps is no longer in business, so its net worth today is effectively £0. Older articles claiming a “£2,000,000 net worth” and a “thriving” company are simply out of date.
The only real valuations Tags ever carried were the ones attached to its Dragons’ Den pitch: an implied £2.5m from the original ask (£125,000 for 5%) and an implied ~£417,000 from the on-air deal (£125,000 for 30%). Neither was ever validated by a completed investment.
What happened to Tags Crisps on Dragons’ Den?
Tags appeared on Series 13 of the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, in an episode filmed in March 2015 and broadcast in August 2015. Founder John Tague — who had previously been managing director of Seabrook Crisps — pitched Tags as a premium, hand-cooked British crisp brand and asked for £125,000 in exchange for 5% of the company, valuing it at £2.5m.
That valuation was punchy, but the product and Tague’s industry pedigree triggered a genuine bidding war. Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Sarah Willingham and Touker Suleyman all circled the deal. Tague eventually agreed to part with a 30% stake for £125,000, with Meaden and Jones each taking 15% (£62,500 apiece) and each agreeing to drop to 10% if they were repaid within 12 months.
Did the Tags Crisps Dragons’ Den deal actually happen?
No — and this is the part most write-ups get wrong. As with every handshake on the show, the agreement went into due diligence after filming. During that process, the deal collapsed. Tague wanted a level of commitment in writing that the Dragons weren’t willing to provide, so both sides mutually agreed not to proceed.
As Tague told Insider, “We left Dragons’ Den with a deal but it didn’t complete for a lot of reasons, mainly down to me. I wanted a level of commitment in writing but that wasn’t forthcoming so we parted ways quite amicably.” A BBC spokesperson confirmed the obvious: “As is often the case in the real world, deals can fall through.” So no investment was ever made by Peter Jones or Deborah Meaden.
READ ALSO: More Dragons’ Den net worth updates
What Tags Crisps did after the Den
Tags didn’t fold immediately. The TV exposure briefly boosted sales, and Tague used the moment to change direction. Rather than chase national supermarket listings — where he felt a premium product got dragged into permanent half-price promotions — he refocused the brand on foodservice: coffee shops, hotels, pubs and travel. The crisps appeared in venues like Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza and Pullman in Liverpool, regional coffee chains, and even Virgin Trains first class.
At that stage Tags had a turnover of around £300,000, three full-time staff and three associates, and Tague was self-funding the business with no plans to replace the missing £125,000. The strategy was “slower and harder” but, he argued, more sustainable.
Is Tags Crisps still in business?
No. Despite the foodservice pivot, the company didn’t survive long term. TAG’S SNACK FOODS LIMITED (Companies House number 08038937) filed a strike-off application (DS01) in December 2019 and was formally dissolved via voluntary strike-off on 17 March 2020. There is no active company behind the brand today, which is why any current “Tags Crisps net worth” figure is, realistically, £0.
Who is John Tague, the Tags Crisps founder?
John Patrick Tague (born May 1965) is a Liverpool-based food-industry executive. Before launching Tags in 2012, he was managing director of Seabrook Crisps, one of Britain’s best-known independent crisp makers, and has held senior roles across several food and drink businesses. That experience was a big part of why the Dragons took Tags seriously despite the steep asking valuation.
Tague’s personal net worth isn’t publicly disclosed, and figures floating around the internet are unverified. What we can say from the public record is that he was the sole director of Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd through to its dissolution.
Tags Crisps net worth timeline
| Year | Status |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd founded by John Tague in Liverpool |
| 2015 (at pitch) | £2.5m implied valuation from the £125k-for-5% ask |
| 2015 (on-air deal) | ~£417,000 implied from £125k for 30% — never completed |
| 2016 | ~£300k turnover; pivoted to foodservice (no Dragon investment) |
| 2020 | Company dissolved (voluntary strike-off, 17 March 2020) |
| 2024–2026 | Net worth effectively £0 — brand defunct |
The bottom line
Tags Crisps is a textbook example of how a Dragons’ Den “deal” and a real, completed investment are two very different things. John Tague landed a £125,000-for-30% handshake from Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, but it fell apart in due diligence and no money changed hands. The brand pivoted into foodservice, traded for a few more years, and was ultimately dissolved in 2020 — leaving its net worth today at £0.
Frequently asked questions
Did Tags Crisps get a deal on Dragons’ Den?
On air, yes — John Tague agreed to £125,000 for 30%, split between Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones. But the deal fell through during due diligence after filming, so it never actually completed.
What is Tags Crisps’ net worth?
Effectively £0 today. The company, Tag’s Snack Foods Ltd, was dissolved in March 2020. Its only meaningful valuations were the £2.5m it asked for and the ~£417,000 implied by the on-air deal, neither of which was ever validated.
Is Tags Crisps still in business?
No. TAG’S SNACK FOODS LIMITED (company number 08038937) was dissolved via voluntary strike-off on 17 March 2020 and no longer trades.
Who invested in Tags Crisps on Dragons’ Den?
Nobody, in the end. Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones agreed an on-air deal, but it didn’t survive due diligence, so no Dragon ever invested.
Who founded Tags Crisps?
John Tague, the former managing director of Seabrook Crisps, founded the brand in Liverpool in 2012.
How we verified this update
This update is based on the UK public company register, which records TAG’S SNACK FOODS LIMITED (company number 08038937) as dissolved by voluntary strike-off on 17 March 2020, alongside contemporaneous reporting on the Dragons’ Den pitch and the deal that failed to complete after due diligence. We update this page as new facts emerge.
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