Naked Wines toasts soaring 2014 sales

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 21 January, 2015

Online wine specialist Naked Wines has seen its festive wine sales soar 40% on 2013, and says it sold 13 million bottles altogether in 2014.

The average bottle spend has also jumped 7% on 2013, hitting £8. The group is now investing in 145 winemakers, who are producing over 600 wines in 13 countries worldwide, and plans to invest £70 million in winemakers over the coming year.

Rowan Gormley Rowan Gormley, founder and chief executive of Naked Wines has ambitious plans for 2015After sales rose 40% year-on-year, boosted by a host of new 'superstar' winemakers coming on board, the firm is planning to splurge £70 million investing in winemakers in the coming year.

Over the course of 2014, sales were up 40% year on year and the number of Angel investors now tops 250,000, with a waiting list of 45,000.

Its Champagne business received a boost in the form of ex-Ruinart winemaker Jean Philippe Moulin, who produced an exclusive range for the business resulting in a sales fillip of 13% in Champagnes.

Rowan Gormley, Naked Wines' founder and chief executive said: "It's incredible to think we have a quarter of a million Angels - especially for a company that didn't exist six years ago. Our bumper Christmas means we can invest even more in small independent winemakers around the world in 2015. We have some truly great wines in the pipeline which I believe will lead to another year of strong growth."

Naked winemaker JP Moulin, said: "My first Christmas as a Naked winemaker was a dream come true. I'm amazed at the support I've received from the Angels online. It's a fantastic feeling knowing my Champagne took pride of place on Christmas dinner tables around the country. I promise to do Angels proud in the vineyard with even more delicious Angel-funded champagne next year."

Naked Wines launched in December 2008 in the UK and expanded to Australia and the USA in 2012. Group turnover surpassed £50 million in 2013, up from £38 million in 2012, and it ships an average of 25,000 bottles of wine per day.

The group was named the UK's most popular specialist online wine retailer in a report published in December 2014 by Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine.

Check out our in-depth feature on Naked Wines from our January 2015 issue and exclusive interview with Rowan Gormley here. You must be a subscriber.

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