Virgin Wines Online Limited,[1] trading as Virgin Wines, is an online wine retailer based in the United Kingdom.
The company was established in 2000 by Richard Branson's Virgin Group, and in 2005 was bought by Direct Wines. In November 2013, CEO Jay Wright, and the management team, supported by Mobeus Equity Partners and Connection Capital provided a combined debt and equity package to support the £15.9 million management buy-out.[2]
History
Established under Richard Branson's Virgin banner in 2000, Virgin Wines became a subsidiary of Direct Wines in 2005. However Virgin Wines kept the Virgin name. They continue to work closely with the Virgin Group.
Jay Wright, founder of Warehouse Wines, became Managing Director of Virgin Wines in June 2008. His arrival began a significant period of restructuring, which included merging the Warehouse Wines brand with that of Virgin Wines. The merged company combined both businesses by capitalising upon Virgin's presence in the online sector and Warehouse Wines’ mail order experience.
In July 2013, Virgin Wines won the award for innovator of the year at the International Wine Challenge Merchant of the Year Awards.