Majestic, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, has kicked off its new financial year in style by opening the doors to its first-ever store in Jersey.
The retailer has launched its debut Channel Islands shop in The Powerhouse, on Queen’s Road, after agreeing a lease on the 5,695sq ft unit with owner Jersey Electric Company. The store is the first in a tranche of openings Majestic is targeting in 2024/25 as part of its broader growth strategy to launch up to one new store per month during the coming years.
Majestic Jersey will stock the retailer’s full award-winning range of more than 1,200 wines – including a dedicated area for 230 Fine Wines – plus beers, spirits, low and no alcohol alternatives, soft drinks and snacks. Majestic’s experienced and highly qualified colleagues will host free wine tastings seven days a week from the in-store Tasting Counter, offering customers the chance to try a selection of wines before they buy and get expert advice.
Customers on Jersey will benefit from services including next-day home delivery from the store’s own electric van; free glass hire for occasions such as weddings and birthday parties; and Majestic’s unique ‘No Quibble Guarantee’, which allows customers to return any wines they don’t like in exchange for a bottle of equivalent value. Shoppers purchasing online can also choose to click and collect their orders from the store within as little as four hours.
Majestic Jersey was given the seal of approval by Assistant Minister for Infrastructure, and Constable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft, who cut the ribbon and led a celebratory toast at this morning’s opening ceremony. Local independent businesses Pretty Little Party and Flour Patisserie were also on-hand to supply celebratory balloons and cakes for the occasion.
Majestic CEO John Colley said: “We are absolutely delighted to have opened our first store in Jersey and would like to thank everyone who helped to make our first day on the island such a special one. The welcome we have received from the local community today has been amazing. This store has been years in the making, so it is hugely exciting to finally welcome our first customers and share our love of wine with them.
“Expanding outside of mainland UK and onto the Channel Islands is a significant milestone for us in our growth strategy – one that underscores our ongoing commitment to investing in bricks and mortar retail. This is the first of many new store openings we have planned this year and we’re looking forward to welcoming even more new customers into the Majestic family.”
Majestic’s expansion into Jersey represents another vote of confidence from the retailer and its owner, Fortress Investment Group, in experiential retail and hospitality offerings. Earlier this month, Majestic acquired Vagabond Wines out of administration, bringing nine wine bars into its portfolio and saving 171 jobs. That came hot off the heels of its 2023/24 financial year, in which it opened six new stores across England and Wales.
The growth strategy reaffirms the renewed focus Majestic has placed on experiential, physical retail since it split from Naked Wines plc in 2019. Since then, following the reintroduction of former management and with the backing of investor Fortress, Majestic has opened 17 new stores and returned to growth and stability. In January, it toasted the best Christmas trading performance in its 44-year history as more than 63,000 new customers shopped with Majestic for the first time.
