Majestic has acquired wine bar chain Vagabond from administration, saving nine venues and 170 jobs, as the retailer looks to grow its customer base.
Vagabond, which allows customers to order a variety of wines from self-pouring machines, was founded in 2010. Its “underperforming” site in Canary Wharf has not been bought in the deal, and will be closed. The two sites at Gatwick Airport are also not included.
Majestic did stress that it hopes to open more wine bars under the brand in the future.
John Colley, chief executive of Majestic, said: “We are delighted to have secured this partnership with Vagabond Wines and are looking forward to working with the team to share our collective passion, expertise and love of wine.
“The completion of this deal marks the start of a long-term partnership and we are committed to investing in the Vagabond business, with the potential to open new wine bars across the UK when the right opportunities arise.
“The combination of the two businesses presents exciting new opportunities for us to grow our customer base, take the Majestic brand to a younger audience and further elevate Vagabond’s product proposition by working alongside our fast-growing on-trade supply division, Majestic Commercial.”
Majestic, which has over 200 stores across the UK, has also worked to grow its direct-to-consumer business through its subscription offering and a rapid delivery partnership with Uber Eats.
Matt Fleming, Vagabond managing director, added: “In Majestic, we believe we have found the perfect partner to enhance the unique strengths of the Vagabond business and drive a new phase of profitable growth.
“Vagabond’s bars help our customers discover unique, quality wines in a highly experiential setting – values that align perfectly with what Majestic’s colleagues do every single day in their stores.”
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