PHOENIX FOODS employees are being assured their jobs are safe as Sandpiper sells its half of the company. The company has 40 staff and it will now come under the sole ownership of Martin O’Meara Ltd, which was already the food wholesaler and distributor’s other main shareholder.

‘Buying it out made very good business sense to us. We’d been running the company with CI Traders, now Sandpiper, for a number of years and over that time it has been trading extremely well,’ said Tim Pedley, managing director of Jersey-based wholesaler A. E. Surcouf and Sons Ltd, the parent company of which is also Martin O’Meara Ltd.

‘Taking it on was a way to ensure there would be no redundancies in Guernsey.’

He said there were no plans to make any major changes to the company, which also includes Phoenix Fish and Meat.

Sandpiper has taken further steps in the sale of its two hotels.

Global realtor DTZ has been appointed to sell the properties and has marketed St Pierre Park at £15m. and La Trelade at £3.9m.

A spokesman for DTZ said there had already been significant interest in both.

The sale of the two properties would signal Sandpiper’s complete exit from the hotel sector.