Mike Clare

Opened one bed store in 1987. Twenty years on sold Dreams plc for £230M

Serial entrepreneur Mike Clare is probably best known as the founder of the bed store Dreams

With a chain of over 250 superstores, Dreams is now acknowledged as Britain’s largest and most successful bed retailer. Although Mike stepped down as Chairman and CEO in 2008, he remains involved as a major shareholder and non-Executive President.

In 2009 Mike established Clarenco LLP and his team there has rapidly developed a number of exciting new companies including Amazing Retreats, a portfolio of unusual, large residential properties such as castles, manor houses, forts and follies, and Stately Interiors , which supplies grand, unusual and bespoke furniture & furnishings such as banqueting tables, grandfather clocks and chandeliers to manor houses, boutique hotels and the country house market.

Mike supports a wide variety of charities, such as The Prince’s Trust, Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, Retail Trust, Buckinghamshire Community Foundation, SKIDZ, Child Bereavement Charity and in 2009 set up The Clare Foundation – a registered charity dedicated to helping other charities become more efficient, commercial and entrepreneurial.