Majestic Wine facts for kids
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| Private Company | |
| Industry | Wine retailing |
| Genre | Liquor firm |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Sheldon Graner |
| Headquarters |
Watford, Hertfordshire
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United Kingdom
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Number of locations
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200 in United Kingdom (England, Wales and Scotland) |
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Key people
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John Colley, CEO |
| Products | Wine, champagne, spirits |
| Services | Glassware hiring, wine tasting, delivery service from local stores |
| Revenue | £284.5m (12 months to 30/Mar/2015) |
| £18.4m (12 months to 30/Mar/2015) | |
| Parent | Fortress Investment Group |
| Divisions | Naked Wines |
| Subsidiaries | Majestic Wine Warehouses Ltd |
Majestic Wine is the biggest shop in the United Kingdom that specializes in selling wine. The company has over 1,000 employees across the country. It has 200 stores in England, Wales, and Scotland. Its main office is in Watford.
Contents
History of Majestic Wine
Early Years (1980-1999)
Majestic Vintners was started by Sheldon Graner in 1980. Before this, Graner worked in retail. The first logo for the company was inspired by old postage stamps. In the 1970s, the rules for selling alcohol in the UK were very strict. Majestic Vintners offered wine tastings and sold wine by the case (in big boxes) to follow these rules.
Graner opened his first wine warehouse in Harringay, North London, in 1980. Tony Mason managed this store. The second store opened in Battersea in May 1981. In the middle of 1981, the company faced financial trouble. Giles Clarke then bought Majestic's valuable assets.
In August 1987, Majestic bought Liquor Barn. This was a chain of 104 stores in California and Arizona. After selling its American business, Majestic Wine was sold to investors in 1989 for £15 million.
In 1986, Tony Mason started a similar company called Wizard Wine. In 1987, a shop called Bejam bought Wizard Wine. Later, Iceland bought Bejam in January 1989. Mason and his partners, John Apthorp and Tim How, then bought Wizard Wine from Iceland. In September 1991, Wizard Wine bought Majestic Wine PLC. The two companies joined together under the name Majestic Wine Warehouses. This was a private company. Its main office was in Watford. Under Tim How's leadership, Majestic Wine became a public company in 1996. This meant people could buy shares in it on a special stock market called the Alternative Investment Market (AIM).
Growth and Changes (2000-2019)
- April 2000: Majestic.co.uk started. This allowed customers to buy wine online.
- October 2001: Majestic bought Les Celliers de Calais. This business sold wine to British people traveling across the English Channel. It was renamed Majestic Wine Calais. Now there are two stores in Calais and Coquelles.
- July 2003: Majestic opened its first special wine center. It kept expensive wines at the perfect temperature. This was at its St. John's Wood store.
- October 2005: Majestic launched Gift Solutions. This online service let customers send gifts of fewer than twelve bottles. The company's sales went up for the 13th year in a row.
- March 2009: Majestic bought other companies like Lay & Wheeler Ltd. These became the part of Majestic Wine that specialized in expensive wines.
- September 2009: Majestic changed its in-store rule. Customers could now buy a minimum of six bottles instead of twelve.
- June 2012: Majestic also lowered the minimum purchase for online orders. It went from twelve to six bottles.
- April 2015: Majestic bought Naked Wines for up to £70 million. Rowan Gormley, the founder of Naked Wines, became Majestic's new chief executive.
By 2016, Majestic Wine had 211 stores across the United Kingdom. In June 2016, Majestic Wine announced that its sales had increased a lot. This happened after they bought Naked Wines.
In 2019, Majestic decided to change its business structure. The 'Majestic' part of the business was sold. This included the 200 stores, the brand, and the Calais shops. A private company called Fortress Investment Group bought it for £95 million. Fortress hired John Colley as the new Chief Executive. The company that used to be called Majestic Wines PLC changed its name to Naked Wines. This meant the old owners of Majestic became owners of Naked Wines. The Majestic stores got new owners.
Recent Times (2020-Present)
- May 2020: Majestic Wine worked more closely with Deliveroo in the UK. This helped them reach customers who were staying home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- June 2020: Majestic Wine hired a marketing agency called Journey Further. This agency helps improve sales both online and in stores.
Today, Majestic Wine Warehouses sells wine, champagne, and spirits. Majestic stores offer free wine tasting for customers. They also provide free delivery and free glass hire.
