I'm showing Alan Sugar he made a mistake by firing me on The Apprentice - he can stick his £250k up his a**e!

After being fired by Alan Sugar on The Apprentice, Paul is out to show the billionaire business magnate that he made a mistake by axing him from the show as he continues to expand his food-based local business empire.

“We’re in the second week and we’re settling into it,” said Paul when asked how the acquisition came about. “Hall’s had been put up for sale - I think basically the owner had had enough - and so we’ve taken on six vans, four rounds, and five staff - four drivers and production sandwich artist - as we look to expand it.

“The girls are a really good team as well, so it’s great to have them on board as well.”

Asked if he’s showing Alan Sugar what he’s missing and that he made a mistake by firing him, Paul replies: “Yeah, exactly! He can stick his £250k up his a**e! This new business will now take Bowen pies to over £2m in turnover as they continue to grow year-on-year. Lord Sugar would have got a steal at 250, but now Paul is having his pie and eating it!”

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Paul, who already runs three Bowen Pie shops in Chorley and Adlington, has previously said that his ultimate ambition is to expand the business into a franchise to rival Gregg’s, which is where the idea to go on The Apprentice in an attempt to secure Lord Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment and mentorship came from.

“Obviously, it’s the kind of thing we already do, but it’s a lot more sandwiches and different options alongside us putting our pies on, which have gone down really well,” Paul said. “The customers like the sandwiches, so we’ve carried on with Hall’s sandwiches and we’ve just gone from there - we’re tried not to change too much too soon. We’re looking to improve customer experience and it’s going down well so far.”

Now covering Walton Summit, Chorley, Wigan, and Preston docks, with plans to expand further into Blackburn, Paul says that the ‘pies the limit’ when it comes to growing the new business venture.

“It’s exciting to take something like this on,” said Paul. “I came out of The Apprentice fairly early and now I’m doing one of the better out of them. We’re still making moves and growing every year, so this is just another string to the bow. The show made me more hungry to succeed; when you put yourself out there as someone who wants to do business, you have to show it.

“I just want to thank the Halls for the transaction and I wanted to say a big welcome to the staff who have come on board. They’re in good hands and they’re really happy because they wouldn't have had jobs if we hadn’t have bought it, so onwards and upwards.”