A wine retailer with stores in Bristol has been saved after striking a multi-million pound deal with a US company.
Specialist wine merchant Majestic, which has stores in Westbury-on-Trym, Arnos Vale, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare, has been bought by investment group Fortress for £95million from Naked Wines.
The agreement has saved the retailer's 197 stores and more than 1,000 jobs. Majestic has also opened its first new store for more than two years in Blackheath, South London.
The wine business, which had annual sales of more than £300million last year, had been planning to close as many as 140 stores under its previous ownership, according to Business Live.
Previous boss John Colley, who has also rejoined Majestic, said: “The key to Majestic’s future is simple. It’s the service our people provide, backed up by a range you simply cannot get anywhere else.
"That connection isn’t what it should be - so we need to get the wines back in that our customers and staff love first. That isn’t rocket science.
"Customers enjoy the connection to Majestic - to our wines, to our people and to our stores.
"We want to look at ways we can grow that connection further and not peel it back. That means bricks, clicks and flicks."
'This is a fantastic country to sell wine in'
Mr Colley says he is planning to make sure Majestic's stores are filled with the "right wines" for this Christmas, including an extra two million bottles that were stockpiled for Brexit.
The retailer is also asking customers to send in requests with the wines they want to see on shelves as it vows to bring back favourites lost to in recent years.
He added: "Fortress and I see a huge opportunity in the UK over the next few years, and see Majestic as perfectly placed to take advantage.
"This is a fantastic country to sell wine in - the number one trading nation for vino in the world - and it needs Majestic at its heart."
Speaking about which drinks he expects to be big this Christmas, Mr Colley added: “English Sparkling Wine just continues to power on. I predict there’ll be record numbers of English corks being popped this December.
"And as a bit of a dark horse, look out for Austria - particularly their whites. Our sales are up over 70 per cent year-on-year already.“
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