Exclusive: Rob Cooke on Majestic’s new own-label range

By James Bayley

Published: 19 June, 2023

Majestic, the UK's largest specialist wine retailer, has launched a new own-label range offering “quality, choice, newness and value for money”, according to COO Rob Cooke.

The Chosen by Majestic range features 11 new wines that sit at a lower price point than the retailer’s existing Definition own-label offering. It is Majestic’s most accessible range ever, the company says, with all wines available for less than £10 a bottle on the merchant’s Mix and Six pricing.

In an exclusive interview with Harpers, Rob Cooke revealed the inspiration behind the new launch. He said: “There are some brilliant wines being produced at this price point around the world – it’s just a matter of finding them. Our buying team are the best in the business at doing that. They tasted thousands of wines and worked closely with our suppliers to create blends that would work at this price point, whilst still delivering on the quality that our customers expect from every single bottle in the Majestic range. The close relationships we have with so many wine producers meant we could have honest conversations, share feedback openly, adjust the blends – and the result is some great quality wines that over-deliver on the retail prices we are selling them for.”

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Majestic prioritised customer trends and buying habits for its latest own-label venture. For instance, Majestic shoppers are buying into more aromatic white wines, with Greek and Austrian wines growing 20% year-on-year so far in 2023/24. As a result, the buying team has introduced a Gruner Veltliner made by Winzer Krems – a cooperative of winemakers that Majestic has been working with for five years.

Cooke continued: “Having an own-label range that delivers quality, choice, newness and value for money is a vital part of any retailer’s proposition – particularly at a time when consumers’ budgets are being squeezed. When you do it right, having an exclusive range that ticks all of those boxes can build loyalty and attract new customers. Those are two things we already do really well at Majestic, but the Chosen by Majestic range gives us another really strong weapon in our armoury.”

He added: “The Chosen By Majestic name offers a clear seal of approval and assurance for our customers that we have been heavily involved in the tasting, the blending, the discussions with our suppliers, and come up with some fantastic wines that we are proud to put in peoples’ glasses.”

Another new addition is Majestic’s first-ever own-label Greek White, made by the Kintonis family. The buying team worked alongside the winemaker to create an exclusive blend of Malagousia, Roditis and Assyrtiko.

Cooke said: “We are always looking to drive quality and innovation within our ranges, and we know our customers love to discover new wines from all around the world. Where we see the right quality wine at the right price, we will absolutely consider bringing it into the Majestic range, whether it’s from Old World, New World, or other lesser-known regions. Sales of wines from what we call our ‘off the beaten track’ geographies are growing strongly, so we know that these products resonate with our customers. In fact, the Xinomavro from Thymiopoulos Vineyards in Greece was recently voted our best red wine of the year, so the quality is absolutely there.”

With a mixture of classic varietals and wine styles from Europe, the makeup of the ‘Chosen’ range places the likes of Beaujolais alongside some new and exciting regions like Greece to highlight the quality of wine that can be sourced from right across Europe. Majestic will replicate this format for its Southern Hemisphere launch of ‘Chosen’ own-label wines, which will hit shelves later this year.

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