Majestic celebrates best-ever Christmas
Majestic’s sales increased by 1.9% in the six weeks to 30 December meaning that the specialist wine retailer beat its previous record for festive sales set in 2023.
Trade was boosted by the opening of seven new stores during 2024 and strong growth in the retailer’s on-trade supply arm, Majestic Commercial.
Majestic’s shops served more than 70,000 new customers for the first time in the period, which helped it to achieve its biggest ever market share.
Categories performing particularly well included champagne and sparkling where sales rose by 4.7% and 5.3% respectively. Fortified wines were also popular, with sales climbing by 15%.
Meanwhile, Majestic’s on-trade teams supplied almost 800 new gastropubs, bars, restaurants and hospitality venues compared to last Christmas.
Never Miss a Retail Update!The retailer also achieved its biggest trading day in its history on Monday 23 December and also experienced its busiest-ever Christmas Eve.
Majestic chief executive John Colley said: “Majestic colleagues across all areas of our business pulled out all the stops to deliver another cracking Christmas for our customers. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved in such a tough market, and I cannot thank our teams enough for their hard work and passion for what we do.
“It’s clear that, even when consumers’ budgets are tight, our market-leading product range, expert advice and differentiated service is a winning proposition – particularly at important times of year like Christmas.”
Looking ahead, Colley described the upcoming increases in the National Minimum Wage, Employer National Insurance Contributions and Alcohol Excise Duty as unhelpful headwinds for Majestic’s business.
He added: “. That said, we have plans in place to mitigate some of these and, with the strong backing of Fortress Investment Group, will continue to invest in growing our on-trade division and opening new Majestic stores – including exciting launches in Christchurch, Wimborne Minster and Rickmansworth.”
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