Majestic buys wine supplier to ‘turbocharge’ business

Majestic has agreed to buy premium player Enotria & Coe for an undisclosed sum. Majestic said the deal would “turbocharge” its ambition to become one of the biggest on-trade suppliers in the UK.

Building the wholesale operation is part of Majestic chief executive John Colley’s strategy, revealed in an interview with Retail Week earlier this month, to create a group encompassing commercial supply and hospitality as well as the core retail business, all built around data.

The purchase of Enotria & Coe, which will continue to operate as a standalone business, follows that of wine bar chain Vagabond last year.

Majestic said of the latest acquisition: “The combination of assets, highly qualified colleagues and unique portfolios will create an enlarged, highly competitive on-trade specialist with a best-in-class, differentiated service and product proposition.” 

The commercial arm has been the fastest-growing division of Majestic since its acquisition by Fortress Investment Group in December 2019. It has achieved double-digit sales growth for the past three years.

Enotria & Coe works with around 300 producers and supplies premium restaurants, hotels and hospitality venues including Gaucho and Rick Stein Restaurants.

Colley said: “We are pleased to have entered into a formal agreement to acquire Enotria & Coe. It is a business we have competed against and admired for a long time, with a quality proposition and cultural values that align very closely with what we already do at Majestic. We believe this is a compelling strategic combination and can see huge potential to further enhance Enotria’s proposition and profitability as part of the Majestic group.”