Enotria&Coe CEO Julian Momen to retire after Majestic acquisition

Enotria&Coe CEO Julian Momen will retire and step down from his role later this year.

The wine and spirits distributor was acquired by Majestic Wine Group in March, at which time Momen said he would stay in post to “drive the business’s next chapter”.

He will continue as CEO until 30 September, and will remain with the business in an advisory role until early 2026.

Momen joined Enotria&Coe as chief operating officer in August 2023, following long stints with Diageo and Carlsberg. He was promoted to CEO in October 2023.

During what the firm termed as “a challenging period” under its previous ownership, Momen maintained and rebuilt the business’s supplier relationships and played a key role in the Majestic acquisition.

Majestic has begun to search for his replacement and expects to make an appointment in the new year.

John Colley, executive chairman of Majestic Wine Group and CEO of Majestic, will take on the role of Enotria&Coe CEO on an interim basis. During that period, Majestic’s chief operating officer, Elizabeth Newman, will also take on a broader remit as interim managing director of Majestic Retail.

Colley said: “It has been a pleasure to work so closely with Julian throughout the last few months and I know he is as excited as I am about the growth opportunities Enotria&Coe has as part of the Majestic Wine Group. Whilst I am disappointed that Julian will not be with us to deliver on some of those opportunities, I fully respect his decision to hand over the reins to a new CEO to lead Enotria&Coe through this new phase in its history. Julian leaves with the best wishes of everyone at Majestic Wine Group for a long and happy retirement.”

Momen added: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the CEO of Enotria&Coe for the past two years. This is an incredible business with a brilliant team, an unparalleled network of world-class agency partners and a premium customer base — all of which are the envy of wine and spirits distributors across the UK.

“I am delighted that we have found a new home as part of the Majestic Wine Group and, whilst I am super excited about what the future holds for Enotria&Coe, now is the right time for me to hand over the reins to a new CEO to drive the next phase of our growth plan. The business is already getting back to its brilliant best and I am looking forward to seeing how John and his team continue that progress in the coming years.”

Enotria&Coe was founded as Enotria Wines by Remo Nardone in 1972 and works with a more than 300 wine producers, including more than 200 exclusive agency brands. The business supplies restaurants, hotels and hospitality venues, including Gaucho, Rick Stein, Hotel du Vin/Malmaison, Bancone and L’Enclume.

Enotria&Coe has grown across all supply channels during the past two decades, buying Wheeler Cellars in 2008, Great Western Wine – now trading from its Bath shop as the Great Wine Co – in 2010, and Coe Vintners in 2015.

Majestic was founded in 1980 and in 2019 separated from Naked Wines following its sale to Fortress Investment Group.

Last year, Majestic paid £6.5m to acquire Vagabond Wines out of administration, with the deal encompassing buying nine of Vagabond’s bars in London and Birmingham in April, saving 171 jobs.