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News
New owner for Nicolas
Benoît Thouvenin, owner and managing director of Spirited Wines, has acquired the off-licence chain Nicolas UK from the Castel family for an undisclosed fee.
The deal marks the exit from the UK of French wine specialist Castel Frères, which acquired the Oddbins chain in 2001.
Castel sold Oddbins seven years later to Simon Baile, son of the chain’s founder Nick Baile.
French wine and Scotch whisky specialist Spirited Wines, founded in 2010, has 13 shops outside London.
All 43 of Nicolas UK’s franchise shops are inside the M25.
New owner Thouvenin is the former head of operations at Nicolas UK.
The off-licence sector has been through a tumultuous decade with multiple administrations, including Threshers, Unwins, Victoria Wine, Wine Rack and Oddbins.