Jascots converts ecommerce into private wine buyers club

By Lisa Riley

Published: 04 May, 2021

Jascots has announced it is to convert its ecommerce into a private wine buyer’s club called ‘Jascots at Home’ from the day that restaurants can reopen indoors on 17 May.

The business, which launched the ecommerce site in April last year selling direct to consumers across the UK, said the move was in order to ensure that Jascots would continue to service its "loyal private customers" without competing with its trade customers for the sales they need to return to profitability.

Jascots’ current customers will become ‘Founder Members’ with nothing to pay and from 17May applications will be open to new members for a £20 membership fee. Free membership will be offered to all hospitality professionals.

Wines will not be available to buy, nor prices visible, to non-members.

Jascots will donate all membership fees that it receives to Hospitality Action, which offers assistance to all who work or have worked in Hospitality.

“As our clients reopen their restaurants we will ensure that we are not competing with them for the wine sales that they so badly need to get back into profit,” said managing partner Miles MacInnes.

For this reason, he added, Jascots would close its e-commerce to the public on 17May.

“We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the private customers who have placed orders with us during lockdown and allowed us to stay open throughout. We would never turn our back on them now and so have invited them to continue enjoying our wines as founder members of 'Jascots at Home’ a private wine buyer’s club,” said MacInnes.

Until 17May, Jascots has set no limit on new members and the only qualification requirement is to place a single wine order before then.

Mark Lewis, CEO of Hospitality Action, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Jascots who as a wine supplier to the hospitality industry has faced many of the same challenges through the Covid pandemic. With their help and that of our many other supporters we aim to get hospitality professionals back on their feet again and help the industry to bounce back stronger than ever.”

Together with its new owners Freixenet Copestick, Jascots revealed plans to expand its footprint outside its London heartland last month, as reported by Harpers.