ANZ winemaker has even made it . So , by the time it hits the site , the customer is excited about the wine because they ’ ve been part of the process .”
Banbury claims the main benefit on the winemakers side is that they ’ re guaranteed orders , are paid on time , and have ongoing communication with their customers .
“ Naked is completely different to traditional retailers ,” he insists . “ When winemakers work with us , not only does the money turn up on time , the wine is delivered on time , and thousands of our customers talk to them directly through our website on a monthly basis .
“ When you have loyal customers , it can grow very quickly , and when you talk to our winemakers , they say , ‘ this Naked thing is what I dreamed the wine industry would be like , but it never actually turned out to be that way ’.”
In 2015 , Naked Wines was acquired by Majestic Wine – which Gormley is now CEO of – for $ 98mn .
The last 18 months have been all about growth for the Australian arm of Naked Wines , which is based in Sydney ’ s stunning Northern Beaches . The business shipped more than 300,000 cases of wine last year – that ’ s close to four million bottles – and revenue is on track for $ 47mn in the latest financial year .
“ That ’ s a lot of wine ,” Banbury laughs , “ and it ’ s growing . We ’ re growing at a rate of about 30 % year-on-year .”
Banbury states the focus over the next few years is proving Naked can grow , explaining if it was to stop investing in growth , it could be Introducing Naked Wines to Partners www . fdfworld . com 121