Majestic cuts prices across 500 single bottles

Majestic has cut the price on over 500 single bottles of wine, four months after removing the six-bottle minimum that was acting as “a barrier” for potential customers.

The wine retailer confirmed to the drinks business it had reduced the single bottle price on over 500 lines to give customers “even better value” when they buy just one bottle.

Examples include a Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, which is now £8.69 for a single bottle down from £10.49, and Heidsieck & Co Monopole Brut NV Bronze Top Champagne, down from £22.49 to £19.99.

However a spokesman for the company pointed out it was continuing the Mix Six – a special price for buying any 6 bottles of wines or spirits, which was introduced in October – so that customers still get the biggest savings when they mix and match any 6 bottles.

It also underlined that it was still a specialist case merchant, despite scrapping its 6-bottle minimum in October.

“To underscore the point, we introduced a minimum 10% discount for bottles not on promotion when purchased as part of a case of 6 or more,” it pointed out. “It was great to hear that you liked the changes, too. So when we heard that our customers thought we could do better on our single-bottle price, we sent the number-crunchers off to look at it. The result [is that] we’ve dropped the single-bottle price on many of our wines so that they’re even better value for you.”

The move is the latest by the specialist wine retailer to reposition itself as the ‘’go-to destination” for well-priced quality wine, after removing barriers for potential new customers.

Speaking to db in November, MD Rowan Gormley said the ongoing changes on the retail landscape was creating an opportunity for Majestic to occupy “a sweet spot”, with the recent changes – including the new pricing strategy, introduction of shopping baskets in store and an own label range – was evidence that a simple “back to basics” strategy was required.

The company announced the launch of a three-year “transformation plan” in January, setting itself a target of achieving £500m worth of sales by 2019 – largely through shifting away from aggressive store opening toward new customer recruitment.

Gormley took the reins in April following Majestic’s acquisition of Naked Wines for £70m.  Since then he had introduced a series of measures, including introducing a Click and Collect service for Naked Wines across the Majestic store portfolio in July and removing the six-bottle minimum.