Member Article

Innovative independent wine chain opens third branch in Spitalfields

Vagabond Wines, the independent wine bar and shop, has opened its third branch in Spitalfields which will see the creation of 15 jobs.

The London chain, which is the brainchild of New Yorker Stephen Finch, has taken a 1200 sq ft premises on Brushfield Street following a £200,000 funding package from Lloyds Bank.

The specialist wine shop offers over 100 wines from around the world on tap, along with cheeses and crafts beers, and has an innovative system whereby customers can sample different wines using an Oyster-style card.

It is the third branch of Vagabond Wines to hit the capital, following the first branch in Fulham which opened in 2010, closely followed in 2013 by a second shop in Charlotte Street.

Stephen said: “We wanted to give customers a completely new way to shop for wine to help them become more adventurous in their picks, and our self-service tasting approach has grown to be extremely popular with both returning customers and passers-by who are intrigued by our concept.

“The opening of the Spitalfields branch was a natural progression for us and the support from Lloyds Bank was fundamental in enabling us to put our plans into action.

“The bank has been supportive from the very beginning and we look forward to working with the local team as we look to open more branches in 2016.”

Dave Kilbey, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, added: “Vagabond Wines is a fantastic, innovative startup that has grown from success to success and we’re really pleased to have been a part of the business’ exciting journey.

“We’re passionate about supporting local businesses, both startups looking to get off the ground and established firms with an ambition to grow. This is why we have pledged to grow our lending to them by at least £1bn every year until 2017.”