Safeway (Channel Islands)
Former supermarket chain operating in Jersey and Guernsey.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Safeway (Channel Islands) was a short-lived supermarket chain serving the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. It was established in 1993 when Argyll Foods's Safeway division acquired two local supermarkets from businessman M. D. Besant and operated them under the Safeway name. The chain consisted of two stores, one on each island, rather than the much larger Safeway business associated with the United States or the former Safeway plc estate in the United Kingdom. The Channel Islands operation changed ownership after Morrisons acquired Safeway plc in 2004. In 2005, the local business CI Traders, subsequently known as Sandpiper CI, purchased the two supermarkets from Morrisons for £51 million. The transaction separated the island stores from Morrisons's broader Safeway integration and placed them under local ownership while the Safeway branding continued for several more years. In 2011, Sandpiper CI sold the two stores to Waitrose. This ended the Safeway name in the Channel Islands and concluded the chain's separate local history. In 2018, Sandpiper CI announced plans to rebrand its Guernsey and Jersey Food Halls as Morrisons Daily, although the properties involved were not operating under the previous Morrisons branding. The supplied Safeway.com website and the commonly cited history of the American Safeway supermarket chain do not describe this Channel Islands entity and have therefore not been attributed to it.
History
Safeway (Channel Islands) was a supermarket business confined to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey. Its history should be distinguished from both the American Safeway supermarket group and Safeway plc in mainland Britain. The Channel Islands chain began in 1993, when Argyll Foods's Safeway division acquired two supermarkets from local businessman M. D. Besant. The acquisition brought the stores into the Safeway network and established a local presence on each of the two principal Channel Islands. The operation remained small, comprising one supermarket in Jersey and one in Guernsey. Unlike a national supermarket estate, it was a pair of island stores whose ownership and branding were affected by wider changes in the British grocery sector. In 2004, Morrisons acquired Safeway plc. As part of the subsequent handling of Safeway's assets, the two Channel Islands supermarkets were sold in 2005 to CI Traders, a local business later known as Sandpiper CI. The reported consideration was £51 million. The transaction allowed the stores to continue under local ownership rather than being absorbed into Morrisons's mainland store portfolio. Sandpiper CI operated the stores under the Safeway identity until 2011, when it sold them to Waitrose. That sale ended the Safeway brand's presence in the Channel Islands. The business therefore represents a distinct regional chapter in Safeway's history: it originated through the expansion of the British Safeway organization, survived the acquisition of Safeway plc by Morrisons through a local divestment, and ultimately left the market when the stores changed hands again. Later developments involving Sandpiper CI continued to concern food retail properties associated with the former operation. In February 2018, the company announced that its Guernsey and Jersey Food Halls would be rebranded as Morrisons Daily. The relevant properties were not operating under the previous Morrisons branding at that time. No evidence in the supplied reference establishes a continuing Safeway corporate entity, store network, website, executive team, or product program after the 2011 sale to Waitrose.
- 2018
Food Halls rebranding announced
[1]Sandpiper CI announced plans to rebrand its Guernsey and Jersey Food Halls as Morrisons Daily.
- 2011
Safeway name ends in the Channel Islands
[1]Sandpiper CI sold the two stores to Waitrose, ending the Safeway name in the Channel Islands.
- 2005
Stores sold to CI Traders
[1]CI Traders purchased the Jersey and Guernsey Safeway supermarkets from Morrisons for £51 million.
- 2004
Morrisons acquires Safeway plc
[1]Morrisons acquired Safeway plc, creating the ownership context for the later disposal of the two Channel Islands stores.
- 1993
Safeway enters the Channel Islands
[1]Argyll Foods's Safeway division acquired two local supermarkets from businessman M. D. Besant, establishing one Safeway supermarket in Jersey and one in Guernsey.
Products and positioning
Local full-line supermarket retailer
Supermarket retail · 1993
Safeway supermarkets
The Channel Islands operation consisted of two general supermarkets, one in Jersey and one in Guernsey. The available reference identifies them as supermarkets but does not provide a detailed range of private-label products, departments, services, or named product lines.
Brand decisions
2018
Food Halls rebrandingStrategyBackground
Sandpiper CI announced a later branding change for its Guernsey and Jersey Food Halls.
Action taken
The Food Halls were announced for rebranding as Morrisons Daily.
Aftermath
The reference does not provide subsequent operating results or confirm any revival of the Safeway brand.
2011
Sale of the stores to WaitroseM&ABackground
Sandpiper CI owned the two Safeway supermarkets after acquiring them from Morrisons.
Action taken
Sandpiper CI sold both Channel Islands stores to Waitrose.
Aftermath
The Safeway name disappeared from the Channel Islands.
2005
Divestment of the Channel Islands storesM&ABackground
After Morrisons acquired Safeway plc, the two Channel Islands stores were handled separately from the main Safeway estate.
Action taken
Morrisons sold the Jersey and Guernsey supermarkets to CI Traders for £51 million.
Aftermath
The stores continued under local ownership and retained the Safeway name until their sale to Waitrose in 2011.
Transaction value. £51 million (2005)
Recent events
Reported
Safeway announces fifth KICK HUNGER campaign[2]
Safeway announced its fifth annual Nourishing Neighbors KICK HUNGER fundraising campaign, scheduled to take place throughout March at stores in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, benefiting the Capital Area Food Bank and Maryland Food Bank.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Banza Pizza expands retail distribution[3]
Banza Pizza expanded its retail presence by 306% in less than a year, with recent rollouts at Stop & Shop, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and Meijer.
Reported
Natalist expands retail availability across the United States[4]
Natalist announced that its products were available in nearly 6,000 stores across the United States, including expanded distribution in Target stores and rollouts at Rite Aid, Albertsons, Safeway, and Shaw's.
Reported
Albertsons partners with Tortoise on delivery-robot pilot[5]
Albertsons partnered with software startup Tortoise on a pilot program using remote-controlled delivery robots. The test is planned for two Safeway locations in northern California.
Sources5 sources
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