Majestic storefront

Majestic has been expanding its high street footprint, but has ambitions to grow its B2B business

UK specialist wine retailer Majestic has agreed a deal to acquire upmarket wine and spirits supplier Enotria&Coe.

The deal, struck for an undisclosed sum, would “accelerate Majestic’s strategic ambition to become the UK’s pre-eminent supplier of wines, beers and spirits”, the retailer said.

Founded as Enotria Wines in 1972, Enotria&Coe has grown to become a major supplier of wines and spirits in the UK. It works with more than 300 producers to supply on-trade partners including Gaucho, Rick Stein, Hotel du Vin/Malmaison, Bancone and L’Enclume.

Majestic had “identified significant potential” to further grow the business alongside its existing B2B specialist arm, Majestic Commercial, it said.

The two entities would continue to operate as standalone businesses but share assets and resources to create “an enlarged, highly competitive on-trade specialist with a best-in-class, differentiated service and product proposition”, it added.

“We are pleased to have entered into a formal agreement to acquire Enotria&Coe,” said Majestic CEO John Colley. “It is a business we have competed against and admired for a long time, with a quality proposition and cultural values that align very closely with what we already do at Majestic.

“We believe this is a compelling strategic combination and can see huge potential to further enhance Enotria’s proposition and profitability as part of the Majestic group.”

The combination of the two businesses was “fantastic news for Enotria&Coe colleagues, customers, our business and our future growth ambitions,” said Enotria&Coe CEO Julian Momen.

“From the initial approach and subsequent discussions with Majestic, it has been obvious to me that there is much to admire in their business and their growth,” said Momen. “More importantly, we have a similar business ethos, and our behaviours and focus on people means that we are fully aligned on building a successful business together.”