Established in 2000 by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, the online retailer Virgin Wines is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Chief executive Jay Wright discusses what’s shifted over that time, his journey and the company’s plans for the year

We’ve just had our 25th anniversary as a company and we’re very much celebrating in style. From the very beginning, Virgin Wines has been all about the feel-good way of enjoying great wine, and that’s a sentiment we’ve aimed to bring to every single person involved in our journey. We have decided to translate our anniversary into our products. To highlight our longstanding winemaker relationships and unique buying model, we’ve curated an exciting range of exceptional wines from across the globe. This year, we’re also super-sizing our wine tasting events.

Over the past 25 years, the wine world has changed a lot. One of the biggest recent shifts has been the move towards premium wines. More and more, people are choosing quality over quantity, which has pushed winemakers to focus on producing top-notch wines. This has also led to exciting innovations in how wine is made, along with a stronger emphasis on sustainability and authenticity. With upcoming alcohol duty changes and shifting consumer habits, we also expect increased demand for lower-abv wines and budget-friendly choices. People are becoming more health-conscious and mindful of their spending.

Low & no wasn’t a big thing when we began. We have been gradually growing our low & no categories and recently our buying team spotted a trend towards premiumisation within this segment. As a result, we’ve listed more premium 0% wines, which so far have generated over 3,500 bottles sold in the low & no category over the past couple of months.

We’re also really seeing an upwards trend for rosé, and that’s an important focus area for us at the moment. Additionally, we’re looking at revamping our Beaujolais range.

We are also growing our Greek wine range and are confident it will take off this summer. While the classics always sell, we’re hoping to see an increase in sales of crémant. Our new Blanquette de Limoux has great potential to shine this summer

I’ve been chief executive at Virgin Wines since 2008. I started my own direct-to-consumer wine business as I noticed a gap in the market, and in 2008 I merged that business with Virgin Wines.

Without a doubt, the great team we have built and developed over the years is what I enjoy most about my role. Building a great business from the inside out has always been hugely important to me and I firmly believe that it’s the people behind the business who drive its success.

We’re known for our wine club. Winebank is a one-of-a-kind proposition in the market, and I believe that’s why it has remained so successful and gained the recognition it has. It enables consumers to spread the cost of buying wine while rewarding members for their purchases. Members earn 20% interest on monthly deposits they add into their Winebank accounts, and they enjoy free delivery on all wine orders.

Looking forward, we thought it was fitting that in our 25th anniversary year we unveiled our medium-term growth strategy. This focuses on turbocharging Virgin Wines to a £100m revenue business. The strategy focuses on driving customer acquisition, expanding our commercial business (including our partnerships with Moonpig and Ocado), leveraging technology through the development of our new app and strengthening our Warehouse Wines brand.