Majestic Wines is in talks to buy wine bar chain Vagabond from administration.
Vagabond Wines, which has 12 locations, predominantly in London, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators earlier this month.
The chain, which allows customers to order a variety of wines from self-pouring machines, was founded in 2009 by Stephen Finch.
Sky News reported that the companies could strike a deal “within days”.
A Majestic spokesman said: “Majestic can confirm that it is exploring a deal to purchase all or part of the Vagabond Wines business.
“Majestic cannot comment further on ongoing discussions but we are hopeful of securing a deal.
“Since our acquisition by Fortress Investment Group in 2019, we have invested heavily in our growth plan, opening 16 new shops; hiring many new colleagues; supplying thousands of premium hospitality businesses through our business-to-business division; and training thousands of colleagues as one of the biggest wine educators in Europe.”
It is understood advisors from Quantuma have been advising Vagabond in order to secure a rescue deal, with a deadline for finals offers last week.
Vagabond made revenues of £7.4 million in the 2022 financial year, according to its most recent set of public accounts.