Majestic Wine is reportedly in talks to buy embattled wine bar chain Vagabond as it continues to sparkle under new private equity owners.
If the takeover discussions, reported by Sky News, are successful, the wine retailer would move into a new corner of the hospitality sector, adding 10 wine bars in central London and a pair on either side of the M25.
Vagabond, which launched as a wine shop in Fulham in 2010, filed a notice of its intention to appoint administrators earlier this month.
As for Majestic, which was sold by Naked Wines to Fortress Investment Group in 2019, earlier this year toasted the most successful Christmas season in its 43-year history, with over 60,000 new customers joining the chain and sales surging 8.1%.
Majestic opened six new stores in the past year, taking its total to 208. It plans to launch around one new store per month in the coming years.
As well as its retail chain, the company has also enjoyed success with its business-to-business arm Majestic Commercial, which supplies pubs, restaurants, and hospitality venues.