A couple wine shopping at a Wine Warehouse, England, UK. Photo:Jeff Gilbert
Majestic Vintners opened its first wine warehouse in Harringay, North London, in 1980, under the management of Tony Mason. The second store was opened in Battersea in May 1981. In mid-1981, the group called in receivers, and was bought by investment banker Giles Clarke, where as Chairman Clarke built it into a UK national chain. From August 1987 to May 1988, Clarke was chairman of Majestic Wine Corporation Inc, a United States company which owned a chain of 104 stores trading as Liquor Barn in California and Arizona. Following disposal of the US based businesses, Clarke sold the UK plc business of Majestic Wines for £15 million in 1989 to investors, and went on to form Pet City. In 1986, Mason set up Wizard Wine under the same concept, which in 1987 was purchased by retailer Bejam. After Bejam was purchased by rival Iceland in 1987, Mason and partners John Apthorp (now retired) and Tim How (CEO until 2008) bought Wine Wizard from the heavily indebted Iceland. In 1991 Wine Wizard purchased Majestic Wine plc in a leveraged buyout, and merged under the Majestic Wine Warehouses brand as a private company.
Size: 2912px × 4368px
Location: Majestic Wine Warehouse, Brighton, England, UK
Photo credit: © Jeff Gilbert / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: aged alcoholic alcoholics connoisseur, bald middle, case white red retailer shopping basket trolley boxes posh couple people fur, class factory shop boutique warehouse happy fun jacket middle, coat yuppies pin, striped suit decision decide bottles connoisseur majestic, warehouse wine, warehouses chain store brand mixed, wine, wine bottles couple warehouse cases red white uk
