Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Tim Atkin MW: What Rowan Gormley could learn from Tony Laithwaite

Published: 09 April, 2019

Wine critic, broadcaster, co-chair of the IWC

Shift from shop to showroom is vital for the future of retail, says Majestic CEO

Published: 27 March, 2019

The chief executive of the newly rebranded Naked Wines has defended the decision to trim down its 200-store estate while shifting investment focus to the online side of the business.

Majestic to close stores as part of major rebrand that will see it ditch the Majestic name

Published: 25 March, 2019

Majestic Wine is planning an overhaul of the business that will see the Majestic name disappear as part of plans to focus on its online and international reach via its Naked arm.

Naked partners with Garçon to launch ‘customer-acquisition’ initiative

Published: 10 January, 2019

Naked Wines has joined forces with Garçon Wines to launch a customer-acquisition initiative.

German, Brazilian, and English wine top Majestic’s list of tipples to watch in 2019

Published: 18 December, 2018

Wines from Germany, Brazil, and at home in the UK are being tipped as some of the breakthrough trends to open the door to success for the trade in 2019.

Matthew Clark strengthens wine buying team with new trio

Published: 07 November, 2018

Matthew Clark has expanded its wine buying team with a director and two new buyers.

Majestic Wine launches Sake campaign

Published: 18 September, 2018

Majestic Wine is launching a campaign to encourage consumption of Japanese rice wine Sake after introducing three new products to its range.

Majestic partners with Corkscrew to offer mix-six discount on single bottles

Published: 11 July, 2018

Majestic has partnered with free wine recommendation app Corkscrew to offer ‘mix-six’ discount on single bottles.

Majestic declares itself fighting fit for tough market ahead

Published: 14 June, 2018

Majestic Wine’s full year results to 2 April 2018 reported group sales up 2.3%, driven by underlying sales growth of 11% at Naked Wines, in line with the company’s forecasts.

Majestic Wine to unveil new store concepts to festival goers

Published: 11 June, 2018

Majestic Wine will be showcasing a new store layout at next week’s Taste of London festival, with a view to rolling elements of it out across its 210 store estate.

Provence rosé faces supply slump

Published: 11 May, 2018

The sweltering bank holiday temperatures, higher than average winter sales and poor French harvests could mean a “potential draught” for rosé wines from Provence, according to Majestic.

Guy Woodward: Who is wine for?

Published: 11 May, 2018

Two months ago, I wrote a column on Majestic that was less than effusive in its appraisal of the UK’s biggest drinks retailer. The day after it was published, I received a phone call from the firm’s chief executive Rowan Gormley. It’s funny how our reliance on electronic forms of communication means that an unsolicited call now has added impact – a fact which I’m sure Gormley had in mind as he opened the call with a jokey threat of legal action.

Portuguese wine sales soar at Majestic

Published: 20 March, 2018

Sales of Portuguese wine at Majestic soared in the past year driven by indigenous grapes.

Guy Woodward: My 10 New Year’s resolutions

Published: 11 January, 2018

1. DRINK WHEN I WANT

Matt Pym to lead “ambitious growth” plan at Vintae UK

Published: 18 December, 2017

Majestic’s former head buyer has joined Spanish and Chilean producer Vintae to head-up the producer’s plan to “heavily invest” in the UK and Ireland.

Eastern European wine boom at Majestic as consumers look for value

Published: 24 November, 2017

Eastern European wine sales are booming as consumers look for good quality value options, Richard Weaver, director of buying at Majestic Wines has revealed.

Naked Wines boosts Majestic half year performance

Published: 23 November, 2017

Majestic Wine said it is ready to “put our foot on the gas and accelerate growth” on unveiling its half year results today.

Majestic to base wine range on consumer feedback

Published: 04 October, 2017

Majestic has relaunched its website with a feature that gives consumers the option to rate the wines they buy, in turn helping to shape the retailer’s wine portfolio.

British liqueur gains national listing

Published: 24 August, 2017

UK-made blackurrant liqueur, British Cassis, has secured its first national listing with Waitrose and will also be appearing on the shelves of Majestic.