Majestic Wine scraps six-bottle minimum

Majestic Wine will remove its six-bottle minimum purchase rule from tomorrow as part of a new pricing strategy to make shopping in-store and online simpler.

Majestic CEO Rowan Gormley

The UK wine retailer revealed in June that it was considering removing its long-standing minimum six bottle purchase rule. Today it confirmed a new pricing strategy was to be implemented across all of its stores as on 27 October, which includes scrapping the six bottle minimum rule.

In a statement released this morning, Majestic said its aim was to make the shopping experience “simpler and easier for both new and existing customers”, following a successful trial in selected Majestic stores since Spring 2015.

“Our customers were telling us that they wanted simpler, clearer pricing, and an end to the six bottle minimum”, said Rowan Gormley, Majestic Wine CEO. “This new structure is part of our wider plan to reposition Majestic Wine to become the go-to destination for the best quality wines at the best prices. There are now no barriers to shopping at Majestic, the pricing structure is very straightforward and I’m sure our customers will see this as a great move.”

While customers will no longer be required to purchase six bottles of wines or spirits if shopping in Majestic, those that choose to in the run up to Christmas will receive at least 10% and up to 33% off all wines and spirits, a money back guarantee if they are unsatisfied with a producer, free delivery and glass hire.

Its removal follows a series of changes by the wine retailer since it bought Naked Wines in April for £70 million and made its owner, Rowan Gormley, its new CEO.

In July Majestic introduced a Click and Collect service across all of its stores, before launching its own-label Definition range, made up of 12 wines with the aim of making it easier for customers to identify classic wine styles. In September it appointed a former CEO of a Dutch DIY retailer, John Colley, as its managing director, before naming former Direct Wines CEO Greg Hodder as a new non-executive director.

In June the company reported a fall in pre-tax profits of 22.5% in June, its first results since buying Naked Wines, which it attributed to exceptional one-off costs related to the deal, and a competitive trading environment. Despite an overall drop in profits, the company grew its market share by 0.1% to its highest ever level at 4.3%, while UK like-for-like sales grew by 1.9%. Sales rose 2.3% from the year before, to £284.5m.