Strategic Partnerships

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."

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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/

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.