Bargain Booze is a chain of

off licence Off or OFF may refer to: Art and entertainment *Off (video game), ''Off'' (video game), a video game by Mortis Ghost. *Sven Väth, German DJ and singer who uses the pseudonym OFF *Off (album), ''Off'' (album), by Ciwan Haco, 2006 *Off! (album), ' ...

shops, that operates in the United Kingdom. Established in 1981 in

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath a ...

, it grew to 836 shops and established the Bargain Booze Select Convenience shop franchise. From 2013 to April 2018, it was owned by Conviviality plc, who also owned the Wine Rack chain. Both brands were acquired by

Bestway Bestway Group is a British multinational conglomerate company based in London, England. It has its operations in United Kingdom and Pakistan. The group owns the UK's second-largest wholesaler serving 125,000 independent retailers and caterers ...

on 6 April 2018.

History

The company originates from a wholesale wine and spirits business, founded by Allan Whittle and Robert Mayor. In 1981, they opened their first retail outlet in Sandbach, Cheshire. The first Bargain Booze franchise opened in 1988, and was the first time the ''Bargain Booze'' fascia was used. In January 2000, Whittle & Mayor sold the company to BWG Foods. In July 2002, BWG was bought out by

Electra Partners Unbound Group, formerly Electra Private Equity, is a British-based online company specialising in clothing and specialist footwear. Listed on the London Stock Exchange until 2022, it is listed on the Alternative Investment Market. History The ...

. A management buyout backed by a

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a t ...

firm,

ECI Partners ECI Partners is a growth focused private equity group based in the UK and the US, first established by the Bank of England in 1976. ECI typically invests up to £100m of equity (as part of an initial transaction) in businesses valued at up to ...

, took over the company for £63.5 million in 2006. Until July 2013, ECI remained the majority shareholder when the company floated on the

Alternative Investment Market AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in operation since 1980. It allows ...

(AIM). With the collapse of First Quench Retailing, who owned Threshers, in November 2010, Bargain Booze became the largest off licence chain in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In September 2013, the company acquired the Wine Rack chain, an off licence chain that specialises in retailing wine, with its 22 outlets mostly located in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshi ...

. In December 2013, the company launched its first television advertising campaign. In December 2017 Bargain Booze purchased Central Convenience Stores from Palmer and Harvey.

2018 financial difficulties

The chain was owned by Conviviality, who also owned

Matthew Clark Matthew Clark is a United Kingdom-based drinks distributor, owned by C&C Group. Founded in 1810, the business primarily serves public houses, restaurants, bars and hotels within the mainland UK. History The company was formed in 1810 by Matt ...

and Bibendum, and had a head office in Crewe. In March 2018, Conviviality stated that it faced bankruptcy unless it could raise £125 million, as it issued its third profits warning in a month alongside a £30 million unpaid tax bill. The company had earlier said it was considering tapping shareholders for funds, and had arranged meetings with institutional investors to persuade them to take part in its share placing to raise the required money. This was unsuccessful and at the end of March, Conviviality announced its intention to appoint administrators within a fortnight, putting 2,600 jobs at risk. In early April 2018, the Bargain Booze and Wine Rack brands were acquired for £7 million by wholesaler

, while

and Bibendum were acquired by

C&C Group C&C Group plc (known prior to its flotation as Cantrell & Cochrane Limited) is an Irish manufacturer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic drinks, particularly cider, and soft drinks. It has production facilities across Ireland, Great Britain ...

, the owner of

Magners Magners Irish Cider is a brand of hard cider produced in County Tipperary in Ireland by the C&C Group. The product range includes the cider varieties: Original, Light, Berry, Pear and Rosé. The cider was originally produced as Bulmers Irish ...

cider.

Operations

Bargain Booze is operated through a

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

model, with around 390 franchisees. The chain is strongest in the North of England, particularly the

North West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

. It is the largest off-licence chain in the United Kingdom.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Retail companies established in 1981 Retail companies of the United Kingdom Wine retailers of the United Kingdom Companies based in Cheshire Convenience stores of the United Kingdom Supermarkets of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1981 1981 establishments in England