Majestic staff caught out purchasing Bollinger from Sainsbury’s

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 27 August, 2026

Staff at retailer Majestic purchased bottles of Bollinger Special Cuvée from Sainsbury’s after being told to by bosses, The Sun has reported.

The champagne is being sold for a discount at the supermarket, with each bottle going for less than £34 (if six bottles are bought with a Nectar card) – over £30 less than Majestic’s retail price of £65.

Sources told Harpers that the wine was never meant for resale, and was intended instead to bolster stock levels for its tasting counters and incentive programmes for staff, which are widespread across its stores.

Read more: Research finds both moderation and binge drinking on the rise

In the UK, it is illegal to buy alcohol to sell on from a business that is not an approved wholesaler.

An email sent out by Majestic to employees on Monday (27 August), said: “It’s important we maintain strong stock levels, particularly as we head into peak season.

“Please visit Sainsbury’s today and buy as many as possible using petty cash. If there are fewer than six bottles available, top up the order using Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc to secure the 25 per cent discount.”

Majestic also told staff to “park in a discreet position” when buying the wine, to avoid being “overly visible”, and to “wear plain clothing over your uniform so you are not recognisable as Majestic staff”.

It is not clear how many shops the message went out to, nor the seniority of the person who made the decision.

Around 100 bottles are understood to have been bought before employees were stopped from purchasing any more.

A Majestic source told The Sun: “We all thought ‘this doesn’t sound right’.

“People wondered if it was fraud or a fake email. We then got confirmation it was real and were told to go and buy as quickly as we could before shops ran out of stock.”

In a statement released by the retailer, a spokesperson said: “After listening to feedback from our colleagues and reviewing the guidance provided to our teams, we stopped this activity with immediate effect.

“We would like to reassure our colleagues and our customers that none of the bottles purchased will be resold through our stores or online.”

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