Her appointment follows a ‘thorough’ recruitment process led by the board of retailer Majestic Wine, which acquired the group out of administration earlier this year.
Giles joined Vagabond early last year and has been the group’s acting general manager since August this year.
Her CV includes senior roles at Wagamama, Hilton Hotels and Megan’s Restaurants.
In her expanded role, Giles will take on overall responsibility for delivering the London-centric group’s growth strategy, including the expansion of its wine bar portfolio across the UK, the implementation of its new CRM programme, and investment in the recruitment, learning and development of its Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET)-trained colleagues.
Majestic acquired Vagabond out of administration in April, securing the futures of nine of its wine bars and 171 jobs.
The wine retailer and wholesaler says it plans to invest in the long-term future of the Vagabond business, including opening new wine bars and growing the brand’s customer base.
“I’m delighted to be taking on the role of managing director at Vagabond at an incredibly exciting point in the brand’s history. I’ve been a huge fan of Vagabond’s unique proposition since long before I joined the team in 2023, so the opportunity to lead the business is one I can’t wait to get started with,” Giles says.
“We have passionate and knowledgeable teams, great momentum and ambitious growth plans – all of which sets us up for a very bright future as part of the Majestic group. I’m looking forward to working with the leadership team at Vagabond and the Board of Majestic to deliver on that next phase of Vagabond’s growth story.”
