Champagne sales hit Majestic

Majestic Wine has reported a 2.9 per cent fall in like-for-like sale for the ten weeks ending January 5, triggered by a fall in Champagne sales to business customers who reigned in their spending over the Christmas period. The chain saw modest growth amongst private customers though they were trading down from champagne to sparkling wine.
Chief executive Steve Lewis said the company would be importing more wine from non-EU countries such as New Zealand, Argentina and Chile, to combat the sterling's weakness against the euro.

Meanwhile, figures from Nielsen research showed that volume sales of champagne in the UK in December fell by 22 per cent compared to last year, while sparkling wine sales fell 14.8 per cent.