British supermarket group Morrisons has completed its acquisition of 36 convenience stores in the Channel Islands, with plans to invest over £7 million (€8.4 million), in a conversion programme.
The stores in Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney were acquired from SandpiperCI, a food and beverage operator in the Channel Islands.
Morrisons currently has around 1,600 convenience stores across the UK, of which around 600 are franchise stores, together with approximately 500 full-sized supermarkets.
Rebranding Of Stores
There are currently 19 Morrisons Daily stores and the remainder operate under the Iceland, Chequers Express and Le Cocq brands.
In a statement, Morrisons said that in the coming months, all stores, with the exception of the two Le Cocq stores, will be rebranded to the Morrisons format.
Rami Baitiéh, Morrisons Chief Executive, said, "I am delighted that now the transaction has completed we can welcome 520 new colleagues into the Morrisons family.
"It's a great business with great colleagues and we are all looking forward to the exciting next chapter."
Opportunity To Reset
Joseph Sutton, Morrisons Convenience, Online & Wholesale Director, said, “New ownership provides an opportunity for a reset and a step forward in the offer we can provide for our customers.
"So we are listening carefully to our customers to find out exactly what they would like to see in the stores under Morrisons ownership.
"We are looking at bringing new exciting ranges, including more of the great fresh food that Morrisons is known for, together with additional ranges including clothing and homeware.
“We are particularly pleased to be bringing our popular loyalty card - the Morrisons More Card - to the Channel Islands. The More Card awards points on purchases as well as access to a variety of special prices for card holders.”
