Majestic expands Cooke's role and reveals new leadership hires

By Lisa Riley

Published: 01 May, 2020

Majestic Wine has revealed details of a number of changes to key personnel, as the business prepares for its new chapter.

The company has given chief commercial officer Robert Cooke the responsibility of running Majestic Commercial, alongside his other responsibilities overseeing Majestic’s trading proposition and buying teams and building the customer offer across all channels.

The move, which means Majestic commercial MD Olivia Fitzgerald will be leaving the business, reflected an emphasis on "aligning goals across the business, and to bring the Majestic commercial team back closer to retail", said Majestic.

Matthew Gaunt, who has been advising the business since January, will take up the position of interim customer director, taking on responsibility for marketing and customer management.

In addition, Majestic has appointed John Storm as head of buying. He joins from M&S where he led the Beer, Wine and Spirits Trading team and before that had many years of experience with Tesco in a series of senior commercial and buying roles.

Deborah Ormondroyd will also be joining the business as regional manager for London. Deborah recently worked at Cath Kidston, where she was the regional manager for South and Europe, previous to which she spent her career in specialist retailers.

The additions to the team showed “a clear pathway and investment in the future of Majestic”, said CEO John Colley.

“I am delighted to welcome new colleagues into the business during this pivotal year for the company. They join alongside a series of key internal promotions too, something of which Majestic has a long tradition.

“Clearly, right now our focus is on navigating the difficulties presented by the coronavirus outbreak. Whilst our number one priority remains the wellbeing of everyone connected with Majestic, we are also working hard to build a plan and structure which will enable us to grow in the months and years to come.

“I would also personally like to highlight my thanks to Olivia Fitzgerald for her hard work, passion and positivity over the last few years. I’m sure I speak for Majestic as a whole as I wish her well on her next chapter.“

In April, Majestic unveiled a return to its “historic strengths” of exciting and unusual wines in its spring range review in a bid to reclaim its mojo.