Majestic refocuses range, upping ‘interesting parcels’ at affordable level

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 16 April, 2020

In a move to reclaim its mojo, Majestic has unveiled a return to its “historic strengths” of exciting and unusual wines in its spring range review.

Led by a serious strengthening of its “somewhat neglected” Australian portfolio, including off-piste varieties such as Tempranillo and Marsanne, and regions such as Tumbarumba and Gundagai, the review also sees additions from New Zealand, North America, England, Loire and Burgundy, plus rosé, sparkling wines and Champagne.

Further rounds of portfolio refreshment are planned during summer and autumn, with Majestic’s chief commercial officer Robert Cooke saying he has directed staff to “curate new ranges they would be proud to stock”, to excite both staff and customers alike.

In something of a riposte to the dumbing down of the range under previous CEO Rowan Gormley, who sought to leverage Majestic’s high street position against the then combined Naked Wines online presence, Cooke said: “We’re focusing back on our heartland, those interesting parcels and at the lower-premium end, which producers love making and wine lovers love exploring.

“There’s also a lot of brilliant wines lost to the range over recent years which we’ve now brought back too,” he added.

Cooke said that the range reviews are based on looking “carefully at the data”, both for Majestic customers and the wider market, the latter of which has shown a move by more adventurous consumers to seek out more individual and genuine value wines.

To protect the health and safety of staff and customers, Majestic has closed the doors to its shops while the coronavirus lockdown continues, but continues to operate a full home delivery service, using its outlets as supply hubs.

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