A Scottish entrepreneur rejected by experts on the Dragons’ Den television programme is hoping to crack the United States after sales of his invention for propping up wobbly table legs passed £1 million.

Andrew Gordon, 31, has struck a deal to sell the gadget, which can be adjusted according to the extent of the wobble, in stores of the discount chain The Dollar Chest. The invention, launched in Britain as “STABLEtable” and selling at £1, will be renamed “WobbleWizard” for the United States.

Mr Gordon said: “America’s the big one and I’m hoping this deal is just the start over there. Americans tend to like something novel.”

The latest success comes three years after a panel of business experts on Dragons’ Den, the BBC Two programme, turned down Mr Gordon’s appeal for £90,000 of “angel funding”. One of the panel, Rachel Elnaugh, the founder of the Red Letter Days business, which collapsed later that year, said that STABLEtable was the “most ridiculous idea” she had ever heard of.

Sales have since surged, with orders of 300,000 in China in the past six months. Total sales have reached £1 million and Mr Gordon hopes that a recent UK distribution deal with Massive Housewares, a wholesaler, will help to win deals with Tesco and Asda. He said: “I think I’ve got a three-year window to do as well as I can.”

STABLEtable, a simple design with eight plastic leaves pinned together, is sold online for £1. After being turned down by Dragons’ Den, Mr Gordon took out a loan to launch his business and found a Chinese manufacturer on the internet.

His is one of several inventions to have succeeded despite being panned by the Dragons’ Den panel. Rob Law’s Trunki wheelie suitcase has proved a commercial hit and is now on trial in Wal-Mart in America.

Yesterday Ms Elnaugh said: “I’m really glad Andrew’s done well, but if you’re investing, you want to be seeing a return in six months, not three years.”

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