Majestic plans electrification of entire fleet by 2030

Majestic will deploy 35 electric vans in the coming months as it accelerates plans to end its reliance on diesel vehicles by 2030.

The wine retailer will rollout 35 new Citroen eBerlingo and eDispatch electric vans before March next year, with half of those expected to hit the road before Christmas.

The move will more than double the 16 electric vans it had originally planned to deploy on its 216-strong fleet before the end of the financial year, cutting more than 700,000 diesel-powered road miles every year and reducing its CO2 emissions by up to 170,000kg. 

The retailer’s broader pledge to switch its entire fleet of 216 vans to fully electric vehicles by 2030 will save 5 million diesel-powered miles every year and strip out 1.2 million kg of CO2 emissions.

Majestic CEO John Colley said: “Majestic’s fleet of vans is among the busiest in retail, so we are acutely conscious of their carbon footprint and the need to go greener.

“As a business, we are determined to grow in an environmentally responsible manner and the transformation of our fleet to fully electric vehicles will slash our carbon emissions by more than 1.2 million kilogrammes every year.”  

Majestic’s vans play a crucial role in delivering orders for its online customers and growing B2B portfolio of more than 3,000 on-trade venues across the UK.

Each of Majestic’s 207 stores has its own dedicated delivery van, with 60% of all orders placed through its website now dispatched from its network of shops.  

As the business grows, Majestic is committed to doing so in an environmentally responsible manner and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

“We are committed to driving positive change for our customers, colleagues and the planet,” continued Colley.

“Removing all diesel vans from our fleet by 2030 - ahead of the Government’s delayed ban on the sale of new diesel vehicles - is a key part of that plan.

“But we can only do that with the right infrastructure of electric vehicle chargers in place across the UK, and with cooperation from our landlords to help us to install charging points across our portfolio of stores.”