RCS - Virgin Wines UK PLC - Strategic Partnerships

Virgin Wines UKAnnouncement

18/05/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 8560L  Virgin Wines UK PLC  18 May 2022

18 May 2022

 

Strategic Partnerships

("Virgin Wines", the "Company" or the "Group")

Virgin Wines appointed exclusive wine partner of Great Western Railway

Multi-channel partnership also signed with Currys

Virgin Wines, one of the UK's largest direct-to-consumer online wine
retailers, today announces that it has signed new strategic partnerships with
Great Western Railway ("GWR"), one of the UK's largest train operators, and
Currys, a leading omnichannel retailer of technology products and services.

Great Western Railway

Virgin Wines has entered into an exclusive partnership with GWR to act as its
sole supplier of wine across the train operator's railway network, with trains
operating across almost ten counties and South Wales.

The partnership is GWR's first change of wine supplier in almost 20 years,
representing the confidence it has in Virgin Wines and its product offer.

Under the new partnership Virgin Wines has curated a bespoke range of wines
for GWR customers, which will be available to enjoy for all those travelling
on its trains including in its famous gourmet Pullman Dining service.

GWR and its logistics partner Rail Gourmet have worked closely with Virgin
Wines to curate the new, bespoke range, specifically for GWR's customer base
and their buying patterns.

Whilst currently at an early stage, the partnership will support Virgin Wines'
efforts to drive new customer acquisition and enhance brand exposure across
the UK.

Currys

Virgin Wines has signed a full multi-channel partnership with Currys. This
will reward Currys' customers with strong introductory offers for Virgin Wines
products and subscription schemes, across all channels including online and
offline, product dispatch materials, email marketing campaigns and in-store
promotions.

This partnership significantly extends Virgin Wines' existing relationship
with Currys and is expected to deliver a significant number of new customers
over the next 12 months by introducing millions of potential customers to the
Company's great quality products and outstanding service.

These strategic partnerships follow numerous others signed by the Group in
recent months, including those with Moonpig, Arena Flowers and Virginia
Haywood.

Jay Wright, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Wines, commented:

"Despite the uncertain market conditions and the escalating cost of living for
consumers we remain extremely positive about the prospects for our business.
In March and April 2022, we recruited over 17k new members, with the vast
majority joining one of our subscription schemes, a record number over the
past 12 months, outside of our peak periods of November and December. We have
accelerated investment in customer acquisition whilst remaining focused on our
disciplined approach, ensuring that marketing cost per acquisition remains
stable and the quality of customer remains high.

"Engaging in partnerships with leading brands is central to our customer
acquisition strategy. We work extremely hard to provide an exciting and
targeted range of products to suit the needs and desires of the customers of
our valued partners, and look forward to seeing these partnerships thrive into
the future."

 

- Ends -

Enquiries:

 

 Virgin Wines UK plc  Via Hudson Sandler

 Jay Wright, CEO

 Graeme Weir, CFO

 Hudson Sandler

 (Public Relations)

 Alex Brennan

 Dan de Belder

 Charlotte Cobb

 Nick Moore

                      virginwines@hudsonsandler.com (mailto:virginwines@hudsonsandler.com)

                      Tel: +44 20 7796 4133

 

Notes to editors:

About Virgin Wines

Virgin Wines is one of the UK's largest direct-to-consumer online wine
retailers. It is an award-winning business which has a reputation for
supplying and curating high quality products, excellent levels of customer
service and innovative ways of retailing.

The Company, which is headquartered in Norwich, UK, was established in 2000 by
the Virgin Group and was subsequently acquired by Direct Wines in 2005 before
being bought out by the Virgin Wines management team, led by CEO Jay Wright
and CFO Graeme Weir, in 2013. It listed on the London Stock Exchange's
Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2021.

Virgin Wines has more than 1,000 products in its portfolio and an active
customer base of more than 180,000 worldwide. It has approximately 200
employees and more than 40 trusted winemaking partners and suppliers around
the world.

The Company drives the majority of revenue though its main channels such as
email and web, as well as its growing subscription schemes including WineBank,
Wine Plan and Pay As You Go.

Along with its extensive range of award-winning products, Virgin Wines
continues to grow its beer and spirit categories, successfully launching more
than 40 exclusive products as well as its BeerSave and SpiritSave schemes.

https://www.virginwinesplc.co.uk/ (https://www.virginwinesplc.co.uk/)

 

About Great Western Rail

First Greater Western Limited, trading as "Great Western Railway" (GWR),
operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South
Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into
London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train
services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers
reach their destinations every year. GWR was awarded an extension to its
direct award franchise (called DA3), which shall run up to 31 March 2023, with
an option to extend for a further year. 

 

About Currys

Currys plc is a leading omnichannel retailer of technology products and
services, operating online and through 832 stores in 8 countries. We Help
Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology, however they choose to shop with us.

In the UK&I we trade as Currys; in the Nordics under the Elkjøp brand and
as Kotsovolos in Greece. In each of these markets we are the market leader,
employing 33,000 capable and committed colleagues. Our full range of services
and support makes it easy for our customers to discover, choose, afford and
enjoy the right technology for them, throughout their lives. The Group's
operations are supported by a sourcing office in Hong Kong, state-of-the-art
repair facilities and an extensive distribution network, enabling fast and
efficient delivery to stores and homes.

Our vision is to help everyone enjoy amazing technology, and we have a
powerful social purpose at our heart. We believe in the power of technology to
improve lives, help people stay connected, productive, healthy, and
entertained. We're here to help everyone enjoy those benefits and with our
scale and expertise, we are uniquely placed to do so.

We're a leader in giving technology a longer life through repair, recycling
and reuse. We're reducing our impact on the environment in our operations and
our wider value chain and we will achieve net zero emissions by 2040. We offer
customers products that help them save energy, reduce waste and save water,
and we partner with charitable organisations to bring the benefits of amazing
technology to those who might otherwise be excluded.

 

 

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