‘Good progress towards strategic objectives’
18 June 2012

Majestic Wine PLC (“Majestic”), the UK’s largest wine specialist with 181 stores, today announces its preliminary results for the 53 weeks ended 2 April 2012.

Highlights

• Group profit before tax increased by 14.5% to £23.2m (2011: £20.3m).
• Total sales up 8.9% to £280.3m (2011: £257.3m).
• Like for like sales in UK retail stores up 2.6%.
• Final dividend of 11.8p net per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 15.6p, an increase of 20.0% on last year (2011: 13.0p).
• Lay & Wheeler: Profit before interest and tax at £1.9m (2011: £0.7m).
• Majestic in France: Profit before interest and tax at £1.4m (2011: £1.0m).

Key Metrics

• A further significant increase in the number of customers who have made purchases in the last twelve months, up 11.1% to 568,000.
• Average spend per transaction up £2 to £128.
• Strong growth in transaction numbers, up 8.3% to 2.2m.
• Average bottle of still wine purchased at Majestic is now £7.34 (2011: £6.94).
• Online sales increased 7.8% on last year and now represent 10.0% of UK retail sales.
• Majestic Commercial: Sales to business customers grew 6.9% on last year and now represent 24.0% of total UK sales.
• Sales of fine wine (priced at £20 per bottle and above) increased by 18.5% on last year, representing 6.2% of UK store sales.

Stores

• Record sixteen openings in the financial year. Evesham, Weston-Super-Mare, Fleet, Livingston, Hale, Dundee, Worthing, Bury St Edmunds, Clitheroe, Ripon, Braintree, Chesterfield, Wirral, Broadstairs, Wakefield and in Berwick upon Tweed.
• Since the year end, we have opened in Northallerton, Esher and Queensferry Road in Edinburgh, giving us 181 stores in the UK.
• We are confident of being able to expand Majestic to 330 locations.

Current Trading

• In the ten weeks from 3 April to 11 June 2012, UK like for like sales up 0.6%.

Commenting on the results Steve Lewis, Chief Executive, said:

“Majestic has a clearly differentiated operating model, with a focus on delivering exceptional customer service that has proved resilient in a challenging economic environment.”

For further information, please contact:

Majestic Wine PLC
Steve Lewis (CEO) / Nigel Alldritt (FD)
Tel: 01923 298 200

Buchanan Communications
Tim Thompson / Nicola Cronk / Gabriella Clinkard
Tel: 020 7466 5000

High resolution images are available for the media, please contact Buchanan on 0207 466 5000.

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