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Generate an appropriate single-sentence summary for the given text such that it includes the main topic of the text.
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The company called the rise in customers registered on its database who had made a purchase in the past 12 months "substantial". The average price they are paying per bottle was up from £7.13 to £7.46. The company said its half-year profits for the six months to 1 October were 3.9% higher than last year at £9.2m. Majestic said the result was "encouraging" against the weak economic environment and an extremely wet summer season that had led to the "cancellation of a large number of outdoor events". The company is continuing to expand, opening nine new stores, including its first one in Cornwall, and seeing online sales grow by 14% in the six-month period. It is also expanding into serving the catering industry, with dedicated teams selling to gastropubs and restaurants. Sales in this field have risen by 17% and the company's chairman, Phil Wrigley, said he saw considerable potential for further growth in this area.
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Majestic Wine has said customer numbers rose by 11.2% in the past 12 months and shoppers are paying more on average than last year, boosting its profits.


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Roughly about 44% of the UK's exports go to the EU, give or take a couple of percentage points. All 28 EU member states have access to the "single market". This means there are no tariffs, quotas or taxes on trade and the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. If the UK voted to leave the EU, it would have to negotiate a new trade deal with it. It could become part of the European Economic Area (EEA), a deal between Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the European Union. These countries are not full members of the EU but have accepted EU regulations and its so-called four freedoms - the free movement of goods, services, people and capital (although the EU and Liechtenstein agreed an immigration quota so incomers did not affect the national identity of its tiny population). Or it could take the example of Switzerland, which has its own bi-lateral agreement with the EU because its people rejected membership of the EEA in a referendum. However, Switzerland's agreement also requires the free movement of people but has less access for the services industry, a vital part of the UK's economy. Some have suggested that the UK could take the example of Turkey, which is part of a customs union. That means it faces no tariffs (taxes or duties on imports and exports) or quotas on industrial goods it sends within the European Union but it has to apply the European Union's common external tariff, a set rate of tariffs on goods from outside the EU, on those goods too. However, we've concluded that what a new deal would look like remains one of the biggest questions over a vote to leave the EU. The UK's current tariff-free, unrestricted trade deal with the EU would remain in place for at least the first two years of negotiations. But no non-EU countries have negotiated tariff-free unrestricted trade with the EU without contributing to the EU budget and allowing unlimited EU migration. In terms of the effects of a possible Brexit on the economy, we've checked the report issued by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which suggested the UK leaving the European Union could lead to austerity being extended by two years. We concluded that, if - like the IFS - you accept predictions that leaving the EU would cut economic growth, it is hard to imagine that would not hit the public finances. We've also looked into what the ratings agencies have said. Standard and Poor's have said it would probably lower the UK's long-term credit rating. Fitch said it would review the UK's credit rating but did not now anticipate a downgrade in the immediate aftermath. Moody's said a vote to leave could lead to a negative outlook because of greater uncertainty and a weaker economy. We have answered some specific questions about trade and the economy that BBC Radio 4's PM programme listeners asked us below. The question: Margaret asks: "How are trade agreements negotiated and how long might they take? We presumably have little experience in this as it is done through the EU and has been for many years. Might one look south of the equator for their experiences or to BRICS (the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) for example?" The answer: Trade agreements can vary considerably in depth and breadth. Some are very comprehensive while others are much lighter, offering less market access. Consequently, the time it takes to negotiate trade deals can vary considerably. For example, the EU first opened trade deal negotiations with the regional group Mercosur (which includes the countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) in 2000 but negotiations are still ongoing. By contrast, negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and the Republic of Korea were launched in 2007 and the agreement was signed in 2010. Currently, 52 countries are covered by existing EU trade deals. If the UK left the EU and wanted to retain preferential access to the markets of these countries, it would have to renegotiate trade deals with all of them. Some could take longer than others and it would not be up to the UK only, but also to the other countries which would base their negotiating positions on their own interests. The question: Kath asks: "Would the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreements still apply to the UK if we left the EU?" The answer: TTIP is the EU-US agreement and it applies only to the EU countries. If the UK ceased to be an EU member, it would not apply to it. The UK could seek its own trade deal with the US post-Brexit, but that would have nothing to do with TTIP. The question: Paul asks: "What is the current state of the EU's trade relations with major Commonwealth economies?" The answer: The EU has already agreed, or is in the process of negotiating, trade deals with a majority of Commonwealth states. In 2015, 22% of imports to the EU came from Commonwealth countries and over 30% of EU exports went to the Commonwealth. Since the UK became a member of the EU, UK trade with Commonwealth countries has fallen, while trade with EU countries has increased. A 2012 House of Commons Library report states that in 1973, UK trade in goods with the Commonwealth constituted roughly 18% of the UK's total trade in goods. By 2011, this figure stood at roughly 10%. In that year, the Commonwealth accounted for an estimated 10% of all UK goods exports and 12% of all UK services exports. With regards to imports, the Commonwealth accounted for an estimated 7% of all UK goods imports and 10% of all UK services imports. The UK's main trading partners (in terms of goods) within the Commonwealth are Canada, India, South Africa, and Australia, accounting for more than 60% of goods imports and exports from the Commonwealth in 2011. The question: Bernard asks: "Do companies in Germany and France grumble about red tape making them uncompetitive?" The answer: German and French businesses have expressed the need to cut bureaucracy and regulations within the EU. In 2015, governments of both countries were part of a joint call of 19 EU member states to the European Commission to reduce the burdens of EU regulations for businesses. However, there is a general understanding that leaving the EU may do more harm than good to businesses and the economy. Germany, in particular, benefits from the single market as the largest member state both in terms of EU internal and external trade in goods. In 2015, Germany's share of EU exports to other member states was 22%. In France, the figure was 9% compared to UK's 6%. In a recent survey of more than 700 British and German companies by the Bertelsmann Foundation, 83% of participating German businesses said that the UK should remain part of the European Union compared to 76% of British companies that took part in the poll. Close to 30% of German businesses with operations in the UK said that they would decrease their capacities in the UK in case of a Brexit. Keep your questions coming by email (realitycheck@bbc.co.uk) or via Twitter @BBCRealityCheck and we'll answer as many as we can before 23 June. Update 20 December 2016: This report has been amended to include details of Liechtenstein's immigration quota. Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate
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Lots of you have got in touch with the BBC about what a possible exit from the EU might mean for trade and the economy.


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Victims handed over money or valuables 36 times, with a total of £135,000 in cash and jewellery worth £15,000 stolen. Ten people have been arrested and seven charged over the scams. Police are warning older people and their families to be vigilant. According to Action Fraud, which records scam figures for the whole of the UK, people in Northern Ireland lost almost £22m to a number of scams last year alone. These are only the frauds reported to this organisation, the figure may be higher. Police say there have been 308 reports of the bogus police officer scam since January. At a press conference on Tuesday, PSNI Det Ch Insp Ian Wilson said if people were called in this way they should immediately hang up. He said the scammers engaged householders in conversation which develops into asking whether they keep cash or other valuables in their house. "The scammers will then tell them that they have information that in the very near future they are going to be the victim of a crime, such as a burglary or a fraud," he said. Mr Wilson said the scammers would offer to take possession of cash and valuables in order to keep them safe. "If that is agreed to, they will ask the householder to put those valuables and cash into an envelope and set it somewhere - very often under the front doorstep," he said. The envelope would be collected and its contents stolen. "The police will not phone you up and ask anything about your personal finances, whether you have cash or other valuables in your house and they certainly will not ask to take that into their possession for safekeeping," he said. 'I was really convinced he was an officer' A 95-year-old-man, who wished to remain anonymous to protect his security, told the BBC's Newsline programme he came close to falling victim to the scam. He said he answered his landline to a man with a "very assertive, very authoritative, very convincing voice", who said he was a police officer. The caller said he had been "retained by a public institution" to investigate hacking on the man's bank account as someone had been using his details to purchase goods. He proceeded to ask if the man kept money or valuables in his house and enquired about his home security. He told the man he would be sending plain-clothed officers to his house but not to tell friends or family as it could compromise the investigation. "I was really convinced he was an officer," the elderly man said. But after hanging up, he began to question the authenticity and motives of the caller and decided to contact police. "If I'd really fallen for the thing and said 'yes I've got a few thousand pounds in the house' they would have been up a day or two later and that would have been that," he said. Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland Eddie Lynch said the scam was a "major concern". "Unfortunately, we do know that older people can be more trusting and less willing to put the phone down and that is why it is important to get this message out that you will never be asked to hand out money or bank details by police," he said. "If in doubt, just put the phone down." Around the BBC Why so many people fall for scams - BBC Worklife How to avoid horrifying scams online! - BBC Bitesize
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Telephone fraudsters posed as police officers to target older people on more than 300 occasions this year, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.


