Majestic Wine boosted by Prosecco sales Britons are no longer waiting for an occasion to treat themselves to some bubbles, according to Majestic Wine, as a 39pc increase in sales of Prosecco helped the merchant to a higher half-year profits. Bottles of Italian sparkling wine priced at as little as £6.99 flew off the shelves in the 26 weeks to September 30, Majestic said, as it posted a 4.2pc increase in first-half pre-tax profit to £9.5m despite lower like-for-like sales during the period. The wine merchant, which has 198 stores, said many customers are buying Prosecco to treat themselves on a Friday night rather than waiting for an occasion to bring out the bubbles. Sales of Champagne were on the same level as last year, the wine merchant said. Majestic raised its interim dividend by 5pc to 4.2p per share, to be paid on January 3, as total sales rose 3.3pc to £130.2m during the half-year. However sales fell 0.4pc on a like-for-like basis following a bumper performance the previous summer, fuelled by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Majestic also blamed the timing of Easter this year for the fall but said like-for-like sales picked up in the final seventeen weeks of the first half, growing at 3pc. Steve Lewis, chief executive of Majestic, said the chain is "very well prepared" for the peak Christmas trading period. Majestic has slimmed down its fine wine collection to concentrate on more names that are "recognisable" to customers. The group said the result has been "encouraging" with sales of wine priced at £20 a bottle or more jumping 15.6pc during the first half to £7.4m. The average price of a bottle of wine bought during the period was £7.71, up from £7.46 last year. Online sales now account for 10.3pc of Majestic's total UK sales while the group's commercial arm, which sells to restaurants and gastro pubs, recorded 8.6pc growth during the first half and now represents 21.7pc of total UK sales. Majestic opened three new stores in the first-half, in Havant, Lytham St Annes and Durham. Since the end of September it has opened another three sites, in Grantham, Maidenhead and Lichfield, bringing its total estate to 198. It expects to reach the 200 milestone before the end of the month. Majestic aims eventually to have 330 stores in the UK.