Oddbins to go for case sales like Majestic

Oddbins is to go down the route of Majestic by starting to sell wine by the case in nearly 50 stores later this year.

The move is part of the plan by Castel, the French group that owns Oddbins and Nicolas, to split the shops into high street, bulk and suburban. This is in a bid to focus on the strengths of each shop, according to HR director for both chains, Ayo Akintola.

Following the lead of the successful Majestic chain, which pioneered selling wine by the case in the UK, 47 of Oddbins’ bulk stores or LRUs (Large Retail Units) will focus on case sales. These are the ones with car parks that allow customers to load their wine.

Ayo Akintola told ThirtyFifty, ‘We are to take our range, which is bigger than Majestic, to offer our customers a bigger choice.’

Up to £2.5 million is to be invested in the expansion of both high street and bulk stores, while 21 outlets are to be sold off. Some shops may also change from being one type of store to another.