Majestic, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, is accelerating plans to transform its entire fleet of delivery vans from diesel to fully electric vehicles as the business shifts its sustainability drive into a higher gear.
Majestic will roll out 35 new Citroen eBerlingo and eDispatch electric vans before the end of its current financial year next March, with half of those expected to hit the road before Christmas. It means Majestic will introduce more than double the 16 electric vans it had previously hoped to bring into its fleet in 2023/24. Those 35 vehicles alone will strip out more than 700,000 diesel-powered road miles every year, reducing Majestic’s CO2 emissions by up to 170,000 kg.
The retailer’s broader pledge to switch its entire fleet of 216 vans to fully electric vehicles would save 5 million diesel-powered miles every year and strip out 1.2 million kg of CO2 emissions – slashing the retailer’s carbon footprint.
Majestic aims to achieve that feat by 2030 – five years ahead of the UK Government’s delayed ban on the sale of new diesel vehicles.
The World Economic Forum estimates that if the rate of online shopping growth continues, emissions from last-mile deliveries will increase by a third by 2030. Swapping to electric vehicles and using greener fuels will play a key part in the retail industry becoming more planet-friendly, and Majestic is committed to playing its part in that change.
Majestic’s vans play a crucial role in delivering orders for its online customers and growing B2B portfolio of more than 3,000 on-trade venues across the UK. Each of Majestic’s 207 stores has its own dedicated delivery van, with 60% of all orders placed through its website now dispatched from its network of shops. Around a third of Majestic’s online orders are now made via its Shop Local service, which allows customers to shop the stock available at their local store, in real time, for free collection within four hours or next-day delivery.
Investment in the new electric fleet comes as Majestic ramps up its growth strategy with the backing of owner Fortress Investment Group, which acquired the retailer in December 2019 following its split from Naked Wines plc. Since then, Majestic has opened 14 new stores, refurbished dozens more, and rapidly grown its B2B division, Majestic Commercial. Majestic has already opened four new stores this financial year – in Rugby, Newark, Chippenham and Monmouth – with a fifth to follow in Crouch End next week as Majestic doubles down on its ambitious expansion plans.
As the business grows, Majestic is committed to doing so in an environmentally responsible manner and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. All new stores opened since 2020 are fitted with energy efficient LED lighting, and the business only purchases renewable energy backed by Renewable Electricity Guarantees of Origin (REGO), equating to 99.8% of Majestic’s total energy use. Majestic has recycled more than 3 million tonnes of corks during the past two years, repurposing used natural corks and turning them into pulp for The Eden Project, while it has also introduced a car salary sacrifice scheme to make it easier, cheaper and more convenient for colleagues across the business to lease a brand new electric or hybrid vehicle.
Majestic is committed to working closely with suppliers to prioritise sustainable viticulture to give back to the environment, and has ramped up efforts to introduce more sustainable, organic and vegan wines into its proposition. Its own-label Chosen By Majestic range, which launched in June, now includes 17 wines, all of which are suitable for vegans and come in lightweight glass bottles, reducing emissions during the transportation process.
Majestic CEO John Colley said: “Majestic’s fleet of vans is among the busiest in retail, so we are acutely conscious of their carbon footprint and the need to go greener. As a business, we are determined to grow in an environmentally responsible manner and the transformation of our fleet to fully electric vehicles will slash our carbon emissions by more than 1.2 million kilograms every year.
“We are committed to driving positive change for our customers, colleagues and the planet. Removing all diesel vans from our fleet by 2030 – ahead of the Government’s delayed ban on the sale of new diesel vehicles – is a key part of that plan. But we can only do that with the right infrastructure of electric vehicle chargers in place across the UK, and with cooperation from our landlords to help us to install charging points across our portfolio of stores.”
