Majestic has announced Christmas 2024 was its most successful yet. 

The retailer said that the festive season was its “best-ever” as it saw a sales rise of 1.9% in the six weeks to December 30, during which time it served 70,000 new customers.  

The retailer suggested this was thanks to the opening of seven new stores during 2024 and the growth of its on-trade supply arm, Majestic Commercial.  

Majestic said the on-trade teams supplied almost 800 new gastropubs, bars, restaurants and hospitality venues compared to Christmas 2023.  

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR 

In the off-trade, Majestic reported that shoppers left it late to purchase wine, beers and spirits. The biggest trading day was Monday 23 December.  

As for what they were purchasing, the retailer said sales of fine wine rose 4%. Champagne and sparkling also climbed 4.7% and 5.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, fortified wines were up 15%.  

Outside of the Christmas classics, sales of Greek wines jumped 28% and Georgian wines grew 83%. The popularity of Lebanese wines trebled during the trading period.  

Majestic CEO, John Colley, said: “Majestic colleagues across all areas of our business pulled out all the stops to deliver another cracking Christmas for our customers. 

“We are heading into what will be another challenging year for retail and hospitality businesses, with increases in the National Minimum Wage, Employer National Insurance Contributions and Alcohol Excise Duty all representing unhelpful headwinds. 

“That said, we have plans in place to mitigate some of these and, with the strong backing of Fortress Investment Group, will continue to invest in growing our on-trade division and opening new Majestic stores – including exciting launches in Christchurch, Wimborne Minster and Rickmansworth.” 

NIQ and Kantar also reported a high volume of Christmas sales in supermarkets, suggesting a successful festive season all round.