THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 138, August 2024
Dog of the month: Jasper Bottles Wine, Worcester
Indie heartlands targeted in Majestic expansion plan Bullish chain says it’s aiming to open 50 stores at the rate of one a month, including smaller-format branches
M
ajestic is raising the stakes in
specialist wine retailing with a
major investment in new stores
and refurbishments.
It opened in Brentwood in Essex and
East Dulwich in south London in July, when it also unveiled refurbs at Bearsden in East Dunbartonshire and Stratford-upon-Avon.
East Dulwich clocks in at 3,900 sq ft and
Brentwood 3,700 sq ft, in line with the
company’s traditional warehouse model, but other recent openings have included smaller high street units in London and south east England.
The announcement of the investment
package came soon after it published a
list of 125 locations, which it said had the potential for Majestic sites, as it seeks to
open 50 stores at the rate of one a month. It includes 13 potential relocations.
The list includes 41 locations within the
M25 ring and 32 elsewhere in south east England.
There are 16 in south west England,
12 in eastern England, eight in the West Midlands, six in northern England, five
in the East Midlands, three in Wales, one on the Isle of Man and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
Many of the target locations are in
places where independent wine merchants currently thrive.
Majestic opened its first Channel Islands
store in Jersey in April, which it said put
The independent organisers of the first Sheffield Wine Week are so pleased with the reaction from the public that they're planning something even bigger and better next year. Story on page 26 and 27.