Majestic Wine Sale: Fortress Investment Group Eyes Offload of UK Retailer

Fortress Investment Group is preparing to launch a sale of Majestic Wine, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, nearly seven years after acquiring the business, according to reports. The move comes as the private equity firm assesses options for the chain, which operates over 200 stores across the UK and Jersey and employs more than 1,000 people.

Sky News first reported the plans, stating that Rothschild bankers are being lined up to handle a sales process, though a formal auction is not expected to begin until early next year. The anticipated price Fortress hopes to secure for the retailer remains unclear.

The potential sale follows a period of strategic expansion for Majestic Wine. In 2024, the company acquired Vagabond Wines, adding to its portfolio which likewise includes the Enotria wine and spirits supplier, purchased the previous year. The Enotria acquisition positioned Majestic as one of the UK’s largest wine and spirits suppliers, contributing to what the company described as its best Christmas trading period, with total sales up 0.9 per cent in the five weeks to December 29th.

However, Majestic Wine acknowledged a more challenging economic environment in its financial year ending March 31, 2025. The company cited “fragile consumer confidence” stemming from cost-of-living concerns, alongside “uncertainty” surrounding tax policies and rising mortgage rates. Increases to the National Minimum Wage and the introduction of a “new and highly complex” alcohol duty regime were also highlighted as contributing factors.

Majestic Wine was separated from online retailer Naked Wines when Fortress acquired a majority stake in the business for £95 million in 2019. Naked Wines continues to be listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, though its market capitalization has fallen to less than £45 million, with shares down 8.9 per cent year-to-date, trading at 66p.

Sources close to Fortress have indicated that Majestic Wine has undergone a “significant transformation programme” since the 2019 acquisition, including new store openings and improvements to product ranges and its online presence. The chain has added over 20 stores in the past seven years, with further expansion planned.

Fortress, whose portfolio also includes Punch Pubs, Loungers and Poundstretcher, declined to comment on the reported sale plans.