Majestic has toasted the “biggest Christmas in its 44-year history”, with sales at the specialist wine retailer climbing 1.9% in the six weeks to 30 December.
The retailer said new store openings had been key to its festive sales increase – it opened seven new sites in 2024 and subsequently welcomed more than 70,000 new customers into its stores over the festive period.
Shoppers had left it late to get their Christmas booze supplies this year, Majestic said. The retailer registered the biggest trading day in its history on Monday 23 December, toppling the record it set last year. It also enjoyed “its busiest-ever Christmas Eve”.
Sales in Majestic’s “key Christmas categories” were all up, with champagne and sparkling climbing by 4.7% and 5.3% respectively. Fortified wines, meanwhile, grew by 15%, while fine wine sales were up 4%.
Shoppers looked beyond familiar wine regions this year, Majestic revealed. Sales of Greek wines jumped 28%, Georgian wines grew 83% and the popularity of Lebanese wines trebled.
“Majestic colleagues across all areas of our business pulled out all the stops to deliver another cracking Christmas for our customers,” said Majestic CEO John Colley. “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.”
The next 12 months would be “another challenging year for retail and hospitality businesses”, Colley said, describing increases in the national minimum wage, employer National Insurance contributions and excise duty as “unhelpful headwinds”.
Majestic, however, had “plans in place to mitigate” these challenges, and would continue to invest in its on-trade division and in opening new stores.
“Whatever the next 12 months brings, our focus will remain on doing what Majestic does best – offering quality, unique products at the best possible prices, and helping even more customers discover new wines, beers and spirits they will love,” he added.
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