Luke Jecks
CEO of Naked Wines Luke Jecks talks about going up against a supermarket duopoly that currently owns more than 70 per cent of the market share.
Empowering winemakers and connecting them directly to the consumer that's the key philosophy behind Naked Wines. Since launching almost three years ago, the unique business model, which uses online crowdfunding to generate revenue, has experienced unexpected exponential growth.
CEO Luke Jecks has been leading the way since day one and is proud to be able to deliver exclusive wines at wholesale prices by removing the overheads that drive up the cost. His team works to connect independent winemakers from all over Australia and New Zealand directly with people who enjoy drinking quality wine, without the top-shelf price tag.
In the first six months of Naked Wines existence, roughly 40,000 cases of wine were sold; a year later, more than 100,000 were delivered to customers in every state; and then, at last count, that figure had risen to a whopping 200,000-plus. "We have more than doubled our sales volume each year," Luke says. "Repeat business is really critical for us, and our customers are really sticky. Having said that, there is still a lack of brand awareness in the market, so were expecting those numbers to double again this year."