Majestic, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, has scored a partnership with on-demand courier specialist Gophr as it gears up to deliver for its retail and on-trade customers during a sparkling summer of sport.
The nationwide tie-up with Gophr, which has been successfully trialled in regions including London, Carlisle, Shrewsbury and Yeovil, will allow customers to benefit from rapid same-day deliveries, while supporting Majestic’s existing network of 220 delivery vans.
Customers purchasing large volumes of wines, beers and spirits in Majestic stores can request for their baskets to be delivered to their homes within hours, via Gophr’s on-demand fleet of couriers operating across the UK. Customers ordering online via majestic.co.uk will continue to benefit from the retailer’s same-day click and collect or next-day delivery options.
The Gophr partnership will also help Majestic to service increased order volumes during peak periods, and cover any driver absences through sickness or annual leave, by drafting in fleet cover from Gophr at short notice. Majestic operates a unique fulfilment model, with each of its 208 stores benefiting from its own dedicated van, delivering orders to households and hospitality businesses in their local communities. Gophr will provide Majestic with nationwide fleet cover, allowing the retailer to call on its network of delivery drivers to fulfil orders to retail customers and on-trade venues anywhere in the UK.
Majestic’s dedicated on-trade sales division, Majestic Commercial, now supplies more than 3,000 gastropubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and other hospitality venues throughout England, Scotland and Wales – many of which will be experiencing their own surges in demand during a packed calendar of major sporting events this summer.
That kicks off in earnest on Friday 14 June, when Germany and Scotland contest the opening match of football’s European Championships. Gareth Southgate’s young and exciting England squad are favourites to lift the trophy in Berlin on 14 July, meaning there could be plenty for football fans to celebrate over the course of the next month.
Less than two weeks after the showpiece Euro 2024 final, Team GB will be looking to make it a golden games when the Paris Olympics get underway. British athletes came away with a haul of 64 medals from Tokyo 2020 and will be hoping to pop even more corks this summer.
The next two months will also play host to the men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the Wimbledon tennis championships, the Tour de France, The Open golf championship and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, before athletes with disabilities take centre stage at the Paris Paralympics at the end of August.
With such a glittering array of sporting spectacles taking place throughout the summer, Majestic is predicting increased demand for wines, beers and spirits as supporters get together with their friends and family to watch history unfold – whether they are hosting garden parties and BBQs at home, or visiting pubs, bars and other hospitality venues.
The drinks specialist is gearing up for the biggest summer of beer sales in its 44-year history, forecasting a 15% uplift year-on-year. English Sparkling wines are also expected to prove popular with customers, particularly during Wimbledon, while Nyetimber’s limited edition Team GB bottles are set to fly off the shelves as Olympics fans support Britain’s athletes in style.
Majestic CEO John Colley said: “We know that our customers value the convenience and flexibility of getting expert advice from our store colleagues and paying for their orders in person, before having their wines delivered to their doorsteps at a later date. This exciting new partnership with Gophr gives our customers the added option of having their large in-store purchases delivered to their homes within a matter of hours.
“Gophr will also offer on-demand support to our existing fleet of more than 200 vans, beefing up our delivery capacity whenever we need it. This provides vital reassurance for our retail and on-trade customers that they will receive exactly what they have ordered from us, exactly when they want it – even during our summer, Christmas and Easter peaks.”
Gophr founder and CEO Seb Robert said: “This partnership with Majestic is a significant one as we continue with our expansion into driver shifts and fleet support services. At Gophr, we are helping businesses, such as Majestic, with resilience, efficiency and peak capacity of their in-house fleet operations. It’s a real testament to the work we are doing that a household name such as Majestic, a business that I have long admired, has chosen us to be its delivery partner – especially as we head towards the ‘Summer of Sport’, set to be one of Majestic’s busiest periods of the year.”
