Web sales rocket 38 per cent
Majestic Wine Warehouses has revealed pre-tax profits up almost 10 per cent in its preliminary results, released today.

The wine warehouse chain said profit before tax was£14.5 million, compared with£13.2 million last year. Like-for-like sales were up 3.8 per cent and total sales totalled£172.2 million, up 6 per cent.

There was a 'substantial' improvement in web sales - orders were up 38 per cent on last year, with internet sales representing 5.7 per cent of UK retail sales.

Six stores opened during the year, bringing the total to 129 across the UK.

Chief executive Tim How said: 'We believe Majestic is in a strong position to continue to expand market share, with a potential for 200 UK locations.'

The average customer spend per transaction rose to£118, from£113 last year. The average bottle of wine Majestic sold cost£5.59.

The group said sales for the first eleven weeks of the financial year were 'encouraging', with like-for-likes up 8.6 per cent.

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