Waitrose buys Checkers and Safeway
Wednesday 23rd June 2010, 10:25AM BST.
Safeway in the Rohais will be rebranded as Waitrose next year, along with Checkers at Admiral Park.
UK SUPERMARKET chain Waitrose has bought the Checkers and Safeway stores from Sandpiper CI.
Contracts have been exchanged but the deal will not be finalised until October and is subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities.
Waitrose announced its deal with Sandpiper CI this morning, saying that it ‘should benefit shoppers by increasing both competition and choice’.
Two Checkers supermarkets and the Safeway in Jersey complete a five-store deal.
Waitrose intends to offer employment to all of the 480 staff in the five stores.
Sandpiper will continue to operate the Checkers Express/Island Shopper and Wine Warehouse stores in the islands.
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That is wonderful news indeed! Had conversation last night about wanting a proper Waitrose yesterday!
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About bloody time! Althougt we still need Asda and Tesco for REAL competition! Good, at least rotten veg will hopefully be a thing of the past! I hope this means more brands of milk will be available too?
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Now more imperative than ever that our local Co-Op should be allowed to go full steam ahead with Leale’s Yard to stop one big UK giant dominating the supermarket scene here.
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I’m sure there will be cuts in the head office/support functions.
If Sandpiper are reducing their headcount by 480 shop staff then they won’t need the accountants, IT, HR, payroll, buyers and area managers that they currently have.
I should imagine a few jobs will be getting cut in both islands. Waitrose already have this support function set up in the UK. They won’t need senior people in the islands to oversee the production apart from the superstore managers. Area managers can make monthly visits and work remotely. IT and HR can be done remotely. They can even outsource to an IT company for out of hours on site repairs. Their head office can absorb the accounts and buying duties and they can outsource the payroll to a channel island provider. All much cheaper options.
Not good news. Also not good news for CI produce.
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Wonderful news that we now have Waitrose but I am so disappointed they haven’t taken over Manor Stores and given us one of their Essential Waitrose smaller shops. I am so fed up with Checkers Express and the exorbitant prices they charge
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So Sandpiper purchased the old Bucktrouts/CI traders group, then they:
= Sold all the pubs etc
= Sold all the wholesale operations
= Sold all the supermarkets
Looks like a classic asset strip to me, I hope they have left the rump operation debt free as the smaller Checker express outlets perform as useful function with supermarket prices at convience locations…
I guess time will tell.
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Whilst it is generally good news that Waitrose has bought out Checkers and Safeways (hopefully they will invest some money and sort out Safeways), I hope that we do not lose the value for money Iceland frozen food range from the Island! What ever happened to the promise of a proper Iceland frozen food store at Manor Stores?
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CJG
And what is wrong with the milk that Guernsey Dairy produces? – and do not claim it is too expensive!
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Ah the power of advertising…
Uber stores like this are happy to promote their cheaper food/more choice positives (watch it not happen, guys), but always fail to mention that when and where they arrive, small local shops and businesses fail and close, and that their demise seriously compromises small communities, damaging them sometimes beyond repair.
Don’t take my word for it. Google it and see for yourselves.
This move also explains why the big chief of Sandpiper has been kicking up such a stink about Leales Yard.
Lynnie is right, there’ll be less jobs, it’ll all be controlled from the HQ in the UK, and the produce/goods will all be imported.
A sad day for Guernsey, indeed.
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I’ve heard from several different people that Manor stores is becoming Iceland. Heard this before the checkers/safeway news broke.
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I hope they do NOT bring in UK milk. as we will loss local farmers.
Guernsey Milk is the Best in the world. :-)
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I think you are all rather naive if you think prices will drop.
I also think we’ve gone too far in wanting pristine fruit and veg. The only reason it is pristine is because it’s packed full of preservatives and other nasties. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of bruised fruit it’s a consumer’s market with retail competition which has made us think it’s bad. It’s not it’s perfectly fine.
Also before you mention the numerous times you’ve found rotten fruit the reason for this would be the staff not turning round the produce lines correctly. These are the same staff that Waitrose have kindly said they will keep on.
I should imagine they will keep Guernsey Milk and butter. It’s not viable for them to be bringing over UK milk. The shelf life would make large amounts of wastage therefore having to increase the price to cover expenditure to bring small amounts over as the vast majority of people would still want Gsy milk. Also I doubt very much they would be allowed to do this.
Sandpiper still utilised the name Le Riche for their retail division. A name which has been operated within the islands for around 200 years. Whilst I assume the Le Riche brand will still operate the convenience stores this has greatly reduced the brand and I think it would only be a matter of time before these are sold off too. Another Channel Island name and business gone.
When I lived in the UK I hardly ever shopped at Waitrose as it was too expensive. We already have a premium food retailer (M&S), this means that we would have two premium and one budget (Co-Op), there’s nothing in the middle.
Sorry guys I don’t want to burst your balloon but I think you will all be rather disappointed with the actual reality of the Waitrose stores.
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I’m glad that Waitrose is coming to Guernsey (proper), but please don’t wish for a Tesco or an Asda.
Waitrose is a supermarket which cares about its producers, which runs both premium and value lines, and which, as part of the John Lewis group, is “owned” by its workers. It also sells “local” produce in its stores, so if the Guernsey growers can meet the quality demands, they should be able to get their products on the Waitrose shelves.
Tesco and Asda are not supermarkets which care in the same way. Both are giant international companies who are partly, if not wholly, responsible for the death of the town centre. In the UK one £ in every eight is spent at Tesco, and not just on food. Tesco and Asda are full of non food items which are made in China, shipped half way round the world, tempt the consumer with their low prices and which sooner or later end up in landfill sites. Believe me, Guernsey doesn’t need it.
(And no, I don’t work for Waitrose, but I’ve had 11 years of “choice” in the UK about where I shop.)
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I’m hoping that this will bring more variety and value for money, especially as far as fresh fruit and veg goes. Cheaper prices would definitely be welcome but so would fresh produce actually being fresh!
I wouldn’t want to see the end of Iceland products in Guernsey, many islanders rely on such goods when money is tight.
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I don’t think we expect too much regarding the quality of fruit and veg considering the high prices we’re expected to pay. As much as possible I try to buy ‘hedge veg’ but it’s not always possible.
Let’s hope Just Been to Tesco is right and Waitrose will be able to work with local growers.
Where’s GG? Surely the young whipper snapper is outraged at suggestions anything other than Guernsey milk from Guernsey cows should grace supermarket shelves…..
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“local shops and businesses fail and close”??
The concept of corner stores in Guernsey died out years ago. Dolphin? Longstore? Forest stores? Of the independents, that’s about it isn’t it? None of which will be threatened by Waitrose.
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CO – I should imagine GG has chained himself outside Checkers with a placard reading “local shops for local people!”
Although he may be trying to hang on to the illusion insisting that he’s an A level student and is therefore still at school….
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What’s all the fuss about me for?
Isn’t Waitrose a cheaper version of M&S? If people want cheap, they need Asda or Tesco.
CO, I think shops should be putting more local produce on its shelves. I for one think that Guernsey Milk is far superior to English Milk, and English Milk should never be sold here.
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17 comments so far and no-one has yet mentioned Alliance at Braye Road
Well worth a visit if you’ve never been
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Yes it is commonly known that Waitrose is the more up market supermarket in the UK and a lot of people dont shop there because it is expensive so we shall have to wait and see, is that right that C&E have got to give it the go ahead first?
Also what will happen to Iceland as I think it is good value for money and it will be a shame to see it go, not everyone can afford to shop in M&S.
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I’m sure Waitrose will keep local produce. Knowing that this is what the customers want (if research is carried out) then they’d be silly to not even have a small range.
Stupid to not keep guernsey milk! Mistake!
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Rachael…There were rumours that there would be a proper Iceland Store (albeit probably franchised) at Manor Stores and that it was going to be in place to open last September! Then we heard that there was some problem with the building and it wasn’t going to happen…9 months later there is still no obvious progression…I figure that is no longer going to happen, hence the concern over the loss of the Iceland frozen goods..I can only hope that they may make it into the Checkers Express stores…Those frozen foods make the difference between making it through the month and failing!! I for one would not like to see any challenge to the Guernsey Milk in any of our stores!
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Excellent news!Quality food without(hopefully) extra shipping costs added on.
There’s pricing and there’s M&S pricing.
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Long live hedge veg!
Support your local corner shop.
Big is not beautiful. Monopolies do not give consumers quality, value and choice. Uber slick megastores and shiny air-conditioned malls with cheesy musak simply seek to seduce our senses and loosen our wallets.
The Big Brother chains will always defend the old chestnut about ‘economies of scale’ and “Guernsey can’t afford small retailers”. Says who?
Large scale purchasing=lower prices and better quality for consumers? Bunkum!
Waitrose and M&S spend millions packaging, preening and telling us how wonderful, sexy and ethical their produce is. It ain’t!
Are we being brainwashed? Consumers must look beyond the PR spin and rhetoric of the big up-market retailers.
Simply demand to know where your food has come from, who produced it and are there any chemicals in it? Ask about the food miles.
For food smiles Guernsey should dig for victory!
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Waitrose even more expensive than
sainsburys Store opened recently by
me. Over priced deff not value for money!
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Sounds good but I thought waitrose was an expensive shop? Thought it was more expensive than your asda and tesco shops but less so than M&S?
It’s a shame (my personal view) that they’re taking over checkers & safeway. I’d have prefered checkers for example to become waitrose and safeway to have become Iceland.
I’d desperately hope we don’t lose all the Iceland frozen produce. Maybe it’s not the most fantastic quality but for people on a budget, it’s great.
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Lynnnie – GG is probably so confused as to who he/she is that he/she’s not sure anymore. Didn’t see anyone who could possibly fit any of GG’s personas chained outside Checkers yesterday. Maybe he/she will wait until the weekend for a greater impact when it’s busier…..
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This is ironic.. I had friends over the weekend just gone from Guernsey to mainland and we were discussing that no UK chain supermarket was on the Island!
To a degree I agree with all of you guys, Tesco & Asda are huge and not always painted in the best picture… BUT our local Tesco Extra store in Brighton does stock a big range of local Sussex produce all from milk to fresh vegetables and flowers.. so they are no always bad!!! I am sure that it is far better for Waitrose to stock locally produced milk and milk products?
Happy shopping!
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I loved the attitude that they had at my old Waitrose. They were Partners there and genuinely helped people when they needed it. They also have local stock if its good enough and within 30 miles I think… I think those who have said its expensive will be suprised by the lower pricing of their Essential range which I’ve seen when back over there.
They aren’t allowed to import fresh milk, nor would it be economic, so why the big worry?
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Dont be fooled Waitrose is expensive, so no big price drops on the horizon, what next? KFC or Mac’D's
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I don’t really mind if they come or not, I would much prefer to see Sainbury and BHS on the scene, but Waitrose will do, at a pinch.
What I hope will not happen is that the openings will not be subject to the “family outings”, and clog up the aisles, such as when Safeway and then Checkers arived.
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Woooo, what about a KFC!? :-)
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Why all the fear over losing Iceland products – they are shocking! And don’t tell me that you can only afford to buy Iceland, buy real food, fresh and actually prepare a meal instead of bunging a packet in a microwave, it is lots cheaper than any ready made muck.
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If you have a look at the website for Waitrose http://www.waitrose.com, You can put in your normal shopping list and then compare it to your shopping in Checkers or Safeway. None of the larger supermarkets would keep the prices as low as they are on the mainland after an initial price war. There’s far higher shipping costs, restricted opening hours and a fixed population, it wouldn’t be possible to keep the prices low over a prolonged period of time.
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What IS all this tosh about the ‘poor quality’ of locally bought fruit and veg?
– methinks a few need to shop around a bit more, it’s a small enough island to do so.
There are plenty of stores and equal amounts of choice – supermarket, small retail and hedge veg – that sell excellent quality produce, some of it grown locally, some not.
Fyi, how do you think they get a natural product to look utterly perfect and uniform? Invariably with chemicals, of course, and plenty of them…
still, perhaps some prefer that, to the devastating concept of a potato that’s the wrong shape…?
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Or indeed a dirty potato?? How would one ever cope??
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I try to shop around as much as I can but it’s quite difficult without a car. I buy as much as I can from local growers off the hedges whilst I’m out and about walking. This morning, for instance, I bought a large punnet of raspberries for £1, the equivalent size in M&S would have cost more than three times that. last weekend I bought 2 bags of tomatoes (that actually taste as tomatoes should0, a cucumber, lettuce and large bag of new potatoes all fresh and total cost was just under £5.
By poor quality in supermarkets I mean freshness. I don’t want fruit and veg to look perfect but I do expect it to be fresh considering how expensive some products can be. I will miss Iceland products if nowhere else starts to stock them as large bags of frozen veg at £1 per bag are a useful addition to the freezer for when I haven’t been able to get what I want/need fresh or if I only want a small quantity. Or indeed if pay day is a while away and funds are getting low.
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Cant understand all the fuss over buying cheap Iceland products for the freezer, I have found it much cheaper to buy fresh meat and heg veg and to cook and freeze it myself, burgers etc are so easy to make. Heg veg are ridiculously low prices and as someone mentioned before Alliance is more than worth a visit for fresh meat and fish. Spending a day cooking for your freezer is more enjoyable that you think, you also know what is in the food you are eating. It also helps the local food growers financially.
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If you want value for money then shop at Alliance.
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Ed – Sandpiper are a private equity company. This is what they do. They buy businesses, strip the assets and sell it on at a profit. This was never hidden from the general public, more info about it in today’s press. Sandpiper will also eventually sell on the other parts. I wouldn’t at all be suprised if the CEO buys parts of the company and manages them under his own name. He already has a restaurant in Jersey I believe.
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Hum dont know what to think really, i hate M&S, their food is overpriced, rank and well just plain pants!!!
So if Waitrose is anything like them well whopdedo! excellent another rubbish shop to have in our gorgeous island.
I think its excellent that something will be done (fingers crossed) with safeway as everytime i go in there it seems like its a “benefit” day out! All my hard earned Tax money is sat in Safeway’s tills because its benefit day! So if they can sort that out please that would be excellent. But as for losing checkers well i’ll be sad when the main site is taken over as thats where i shop so if its gonna still do “normal” food then i’m a happy girl if not, well looks like its a veg patch for my garden! and maybe throw in a couple chickens!!
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I hope that the take over by Waitrose will result in a better range and choice of products being available. I shop at the Sandpiper supermarkets less now because many of the items I used to go in there to buy have disappeared from their shelves. New products advertised on the television often take months to appear on their shelves, if they ever appear at all. For me prices are a less important consideration than actually being able to buy what I want to buy. I won’t be sorry to see the back of those Nisa Hertiage branded products though.
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Vee – go for the veg patch and chickens, why not? If you have the space, you will find it very rewarding!
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I think you will find Manor Stores is being rebranded as we speak…
Half of it is shut off…
So get facts right before spouting off!!
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Never mind Waitrose, what we really need is the likes of Asda and Tesco over here fighting a price war, if there was some real competition then maybe the price of everyday goods would be dragged down towards more realistic prices – I cannot believe how much cheaper grocery shopping is in the UK not to mention the vast choice of goods available compared with what we have here in Guernsey.
One thing is for sure – I never come back from the UK without a car full of cheap groceries!
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Caris – is your name pronounced andy bagot per chance? ;p
Vee I’m sure they have to shop somewhere and I’m sure it won’t be at the new stores. I had to chuckle when reading the paper earlier with the statement “co-op and alliance bosses are happy about take over” ha-ha I bet they are!
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i dont care about Waitrose but i would for iceland to come over here an not like the iceland food in safeways just a shop in the island of iceland
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Misconceptions:
1. Waitrose will be cheaper.
– unlikely. It’s not a cheap supermarket in the UK, and certainly won’t be here, as someone will have to pay all the haulage/shipping costs, namely, the customers.
2. Waitroses fruit and veg will be better quality
– err, again, I don’t think so. If they decide to ship it in from the UK so they can get the stuff at the prices/in the quantities they require, it will have sat in the lorries/shipping containers that the customers are funding for hours/days on end…also adding to their carbon footprint.
3. ‘Waitrose will result in a better range and choice of products being available’
– for gods sake, how much ‘choice’ do people want, exactly?!
Perhaps we miss out on one or two minor things (I understand chocolate coated Yeti nipples and hen’s teeth are currently OOS), but really, you can get anything and everything here, from ethnic,organic and vegetarian, to drenched in ‘e’ numbers, chemically flavored and laden with factory farmed god knows what, that your heart desires!
If what we’re REALLY talking about here in the supposed ‘need’ for more the Iceland style cheap an chav-vy frozen ‘ready food’s, may I suggest that those in search of more ‘choice’ either 1. treat themselves to some of the copious amounts of fresh raw ingredients available here and cook their own (limitless recipes, cheaper, and a darned sight healthier), or 2. (if you can) grow your own, and enjoy eating your own home grown fruit and veg, which beats supermarket fodder every time, even if it is slightly the ‘wrong’ color/shape..;0)…!
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@kevin – Guernsey has a population of just over 60,000 people. I would imagine Tesco and Asda, in some of their UK stores, get that number of people through the door every few days. I would be very surprised if they wanted to open up in Guernsey.
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For people who believe that Tesco/ASDA is a good idea for Guernsey, here is the scenario one could expect.
Tesco opens with “everyday low prices”. They open up by bombarding everyone with their pamphlets through the door, offering ‘good value’ and masses of choice. Before long the likes of the Coop and Alliance are having to reduce their prices to compete. However the knock on effect is that to maintain their profit margins, they need to force down the prices from suppliers. In the meantime, a lot of the local suppliers want to get into bed with Tesco to ensure that they are where the majority are shopping. Problem is that suppliers have to sing to Tesco’s tune. There’s no negotiation, it’s a take it or leave it, one time offer. So local suppliers are forced to earn less on their produce to get onto the shelves.
After maybe a year and a half of struggle, we’ll face the loss of a number of smaller retailers (checkers express, etc), then maybe after 2 years, Alliance is in problems as they can no longer compete with Tesco’s Value range (Baked Beans for 9p anyone?).
The result, after 5 years of Tesco being in the Island, all competition has been obliterated, lots of local growers have ceased to exist due to unsustainable profit margins and the locals who live on the Island are exactly in the same place as when CI Traders bought out Safeway and Le Riche; no choice and no competition.
NEVER wish this fate on Guernsey.
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Thanks Lynnie
I was merely posting so that I could tell my wife “I told you so” from 4 years ago.
If I had known four years ago than TS had over reached himself so badly I would have rustled up the cash myself to have a stab.
Borrow, buy, borrow, buy, then SE££ SE££ SE££
But, then who saw the credit crunch?
Oh yes good old George S, never the fool that one.
Waitrose are coming in because they se the market as tapped and trapped.
How many of the workforce in Guernsey will end up as JL equity partners or will there be a non equity offshore operation?
I bet C&E don’t ask in their mad kowtow to uk chain.
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after reading most of the coments last night with my other half she was amazed at how little people know about tesco and what they do for the comunity they pump money into locals trades money and free time to local charity the staff are well looked after there not the monster place that a lot of people seem to think but it seemsonly the bad is meking to the pages of papers again .O yes my other half was a maneger for tesco so she knows what she is on about .
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Waitrose will be a sea-change for Checkers, and absolutely a paradigm shift for Safeway.
If the planned/proposed Iceland store does actually happen at St Martins then it will at least provide somewhere for those who prefer the bottom end of the market.
Its reasonable to expect that approximately 30-35% of those involved in infrastructure will be made redundant. Finance, HR, IT, Senior Management, Marketing, and to an extent Buyers. These all exist with Waitrose already. Perhaps Sandpiper is planning to increase the number of small franchises it already runs, maybe some job losses will be absorbed there?
They say that they will put more staff in. Hopefully this means more till operators, more store managers, and more store detectives to control the shoplifting which is absolutely rife in both those shops at present. Also more stackers so the shelf-stacking will be done at more sensible times.
A good move? Not for everyone, no.
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I totally agree with Scarlett on one point – exactly how much “choice” do people need? We have so much choice over here already and with a bit of creativity mealtimes need never be boring.
We just don’t know how good we’ve got it. Some people would kill to get the out of date stuff supermarkets throw out each day, food which is still perfectly edible.
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@tomb
A lot of retailers do that, Tesco are not all that special. I’m sure we can go on Tesco website and read the same thing that your wife has told you. The only difference is that Tesco takes more than it’s fair share. They wipe out other traders, they cannot work alongside them.
Tesco would not work well in the islands. Despite what a lot of people think the Channel Islands are different to Mainland Britain. They would be seen as an outsider, controlled by an outside entity taking profits out of the island. There’s the same amount of people in Guernsey, they will spend roughly the same amount on their shopping so I don’t know where this extra money being pumped into the community comes from. The demographic is also too small for Tesco they wouldn’t come here. I would be very suprised if Waitrose keep and operate the two supermarkets it has purchased. If it were me I would sell Safeway and the land for housing. Instant fortune. However, maybe they’ll make one a Waitrose Food Store (Admiral Park) and the other a John Lewis Home Store? I realise it’s “waitrose” that has bought them but that could only maybe be the small print.
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really sad, all the people getting excited over a supermarket
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if you want really cheap supermarkets why not go down the Aldi route , that way all the unfit , obese, chain smoking social out-casts will be happy and have more money left for their can of alcohol products , the old saying sticks “if you cant stand the heat ….”
as someone who used to work for Sandpiper the above mentioned people are the reason why we got the appalling Nisa / Heritage range, basically its the stuff that fell on the maunfacturers floor , got kicked around and then packaged for sale , I am NOT someone who can afford mega expensive food , due to being on long term illness benefit, BUT I eat well and healthily, I dont smoke but enjoy an occasional tipple so dont complain about food prices while buying your 200 fags and cider for the weekend . the takeover by Waitrose is great
Many people would give anything a tenth of the food we consume, you want cheap food ? Go and live in the slums on the mainland or anywhere in the world and see what you REALLY want…..
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Gah. If it’d been a Lidls or an Aldi taking over the Safeways premises I might have gotten a little excited. As it is we’re just in for another overpriced vendor of foodstuffs. Yay for us.
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No my name is not Coleen Nolan or Kerry Katona but I wish bloggers would stop knocking Iceland customers. I have no financial need to shop at Iceland but believe me I shop at Safeway and I know there are families shopping there because that is the only way they can afford to feed their little family pensioners too.The bags of veg for £1.00 are terrific value especially in the winter when the veg on offer is pretty dismal and only looks fresh for a day or so. Not everyone can shop and not look at the prices some have to budget for the week, oh how I wish we were not so presumptious.
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In the UK Waitrose is associated with high quality and the inside of the supermarkets look good and they treat their staff well. Checkers already stocks some of their lines so locals will be familiar with them already. They do have an ‘Essential’ range which compares well in price with other supermarkets. I think Guernsey deserves a Waitrose supermarket and with Iceland at the Forest there will certainly be more choice.
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Iceland on the whole is good , one or two products are dubious but no more so that the eqivalent double priced goods
Waitrose Essential is a “value range of quality goods”, basically lower priced but still good quality, same sort of thing that the Co-op value range is , but with more choice
Michael, just a technicality , do you know something we dont or has Manor Stores St Martins moved to the Forest?
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Just as a footnote , i clicked the “post comment” button too early
As for those who post the “keep things local” comments, PLEASE remember that we had that, in the form of the previous Markets in town, we also have lots of Hedge Veg sites.
The markets have gone because of laziness (by us all , me included) of not wanting to walk to the Albert Pier with a bag of carrots, and also because of greediness on the part of landlords etc.
Support ANY business that is currently running or coming to Guernsey , it dosent matter if that is Alliance, Co-op ,Waitrose or “Bert down the road”, and dont complain about the ones who are not here , Everybody wanted Pizza Express and Burger King but at the end of it there wasn,t the fottfall so just support what you do have and hopefully others will see that they are doing ok and also express an interest
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Any one know if there are any planned changes in Alderney stores?
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Don’t worry Mary.
They will still sell alcohol so you lot can still cling to your rock !
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One suggestion put up was Waitrose instead of Checkers, and Iceland instead of Safeway. I like that idea.
One Waitrose store would be excellent for us in my opinion, but, it is more expensive and will limit options for those of us who run a shopping budget. Two new Waitrose stores will mean more food choice for those who can afford it…
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Deepthoat Donkey your concern is misplaced as I am a lifelong teetotaler. It may surprise you to know that teetotalers do live here !
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PYE – I’d just like more of a variety. I only like the full cream (red) milk, the other two are like water. It bores me, I like variety. Nothing wrong with the red milk, I just want more choice.
Lynnie – cheer up and stop being so synical, change is a good thing. Waitrose do stock lower price ranges, if that isn’t what people want then there’s Iceland or Co-op. And as for nothing wrong with bruised fruit, there is, I for one don’t like it. I would pay over the odds for fruit and veg and always buy it from M&S as I know it’s quality and always lasts past it’s sell by date.
I had to speak to a supervisor at the Co-op on the Bridge last week as there was a whole pallet of rotten, wet, seeping, bruised pears, not one of them was fit for purpose! How any member of staff can walk past that and not notice it or be ashamed is beyond me, they must’ve been rotting away for days.
Waitrose put a lot of money and effort into their staff training and I’m really hoping the Safeway staff make use of it and learn the really hard task of “turning around the produce lines correctly” – hardly rocket science is it? It’s the least I expect for the ridiculous prices I’m FORCED to pay!
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One thing is for sure – I never come back from the UK without a car full of cheap groceries!
Go Kevin! If I made trips to the UK with my car I’d be doing the same.
I was recently at Asda in the Isle of Dogs and was amazed by their fruit and veg, a massive selection, very fresh and VERY cheap, I’d even go as far to say it was as good as M&S!
There’s always people moaning about something, if it was Tesco or Sainsbury’s you’d all still be complaining!
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Valeite – I hear what you’re saying about people on a budget but there’s a fine line between shopping for what you can afford and laziness. All that frozen food, pizzas for a £1, 4 burgers for £2, what on earth is going into this “food” to be able to make it that cheap? Parents need to take what little money they have if that’s the case and buy some veg, as Lynnie recommends there’s nothing wrong with it being a bit bruised, and take the time to make some real food instead of filling their kids with all this salt, sugar and fat because it gives them an extra hour to smoke fags and sit on Facebook – can afford cigarettes and a laptop yet can’t afford or take the time to feed their children decent food!
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Long Live Chickens and Veg Patches!!!! (well i may have to eat my chickens one day) but i think Guernsey produce on the hedge is the best!
Going to get my path ready as i type!
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Kevin,
Would I be able to give you some cash and a shopping list next time? :)
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Yipee great news WAITROSE is the best we always shop there when we are in the Uk. Excellent Quality food. Great news the best. I will support. To all those who are not happy and want cheap then go to alli!!!
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I am amused to see comments such as ” expensive ” etc , 2 things need to be put in context , firstly one LOCAL company happily admits to charging over the retail price for food on the pretext of “freight” Strange how that hasnt been mentioned or is it “Simply.. (the clue is there!)Forgotten , sure I agree M & S food is very nice but its a local company that is ripping you off, the fact that there is a reduction in clothing is irrelevant , I would suggest that you very rarely go and buy a new set of clothes once , or more, a week.
Mr Creasey , Do we assume that the “freight” charges will be going up by 2.5 percent in line with the increase in VAT ? Anybody want to put a fiver on it ???
Waitrose food is the same quality as M&S but slightly cheaper , the queues of people at the M&S tills with trolly loads means that waitrose is going to do very well ,
And BTW, the “gossip” is that one store WILL be John Lewis and the other Waitrose , which will really give Creaseys a run for their money,
Did no-one else notice that of all the retailers who were asked questions the only one who wouldnt comment is ….. Yep – Creaseys
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CJG
I am sorry but Iceland do not only sell pizzas and burgers, I for one would not buy them anyway, but I do buy their frozen fruit in the winter and as I say vegetables when they are scarce. The prawns are good value too. Talking to a resident in the UK about the comments on here regarding Iceland he said that Iceland have a very good reputation over there,as for being lazy I am not.I am afraid it is mix and match shopping for me I have to shop here there and everywhere but others are not so fortunate.
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Sarkdog Millionaire
The Big Brother chains will always defend the old chestnut about ‘economies of scale’ and “Guernsey can’t afford small retailers”. Says who?
Says who is whoever is making the most enormous profits out of the captive islanders.
Compare the following:
fresh leg of lamb [same weight]
UK CO-OP £7.99 Chequers £25+
amore yoghurt:
UK CO-OP 50p Guernsey CO-OP 96p
Impulse body spray
UK Tesco £1 Guernsey CO-OP £2.24
now come on fellas. I know that there are freight charges; but for those kinds of amounts. I don’t think so. So WHO is making the profit here?
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coyote – yes but overheads are more expensive than UK. Wages are more expensive than UK.
All UK supermarket assistants are on minimum wage which is £3.57 (16 – 17yr olds) £4.83 (18 – 20yr olds) and £5.81 for 21 and over. Our supermarket assistants are not on that. All you would have to do is call up checkers, co-op, M&S and ask how much is an 18yr old’s hourly rate and it will be at least £7.35 ph.
Rent is more expensive. Utilities is more expensive and yes then there’s freight charges which would include refigeration units and the boat. Warehouse charges for storage (which is most likely in the UK)
Whilst there is a profit, I don’t doubt for a minute that it isn’t relative.
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I’m not really sure of the facts and figures, I just feel and know that I get ripped off all the time. I’m happy to pay the price but I expect quality for it, and definitely a quality service which is not what I get anywhere.
I’m sick and tired of having to go around to 2 or 3 different shops for what I want, M&S for fruit (I prefer it, always fresh and comes in handy punnets for my toddler and me to take to work), Co-op for bacon as I can’t bear the look of that stuff that’s going brown on Safeways shelves and Waitrose bacon is thick like gammon! Then I may have to go to a few places for a joint of beef because Checkers prices of meat are just shocking and the variety from the Co-op isn’t good. So will probably end up buying something from M&S as it’s quality and doesn’t end up shrinking to a quarter of it’s original size!
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seriously , firstly the *like for like” comparision is not relevant, You might as well have said …………..
Koala Meat at UK Poundworld £1 per kg
………..at Guernsey Checkers £3000 per kg
Keep prices like for like , I.e Co-OP UK and Co-Op Guernsey
Incidentally , if we are talking prices, why is everybody not shopping at Poundworld ??
Why not make the best of a bad world ? Do like I do, if something you like is on BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) then but 2 and get 4 , your shopping has reduced in cost and you dont have to shop so often, unless you are a greedy fat chain-smoking alcoholic as previously mentioned lol.
aa for having no choice , I have yet to see any media reports of any Safeway, Checkers , Alliance or M&S staff holding guns to passers by heads to make you enter , there is also no-one stopping you taking a 10 minute taxi to the harbour and/or airport and leaving this (apparantly) bad place and going to live in (allegedly) shopping heaven, where you probably will have a gun to your head but not for the reason of making you shop.
sod it , if you cant be bothered looking after yourself then thats fine , pay me 50 quid a week and your shopping list along with the money to pay for it and i will do your shopping and you can have a stress free life knowing you dont have to worry about spending ,
we , generally, have a better life than MOST of the mainland , however there will always be some who are never happy except when they are full of doom and gloom.
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cjg
It’s called shopping around mate millions of people all around the world do it. exactly what you do when buying other consumables. I can’t believe you guys, obviously the weekly \daily shop at the supermarket is a massive part of your lives it’s so important to you you come on places like this to whinge and criticise and yet you’ll happily be ripped off by plumbers,tilers,builders,sparkies, carpenters,furniture shops,pubs,electrical suppliers,advocates,doctors and so on, your just bullies and pick on supermarkets and their staff because it is easy. you guys are no better at your jobs than I am at mine. I was in the co-op vazon last Sunday and saw a woman berating a young lad at the dairy cabinet for not having a spread she wanted. I counted 26 different spreads on sale that’s a lot for a small shop.
cjg
at the co-op you can buy joints of beef as follows topside,toprump,rolled rib,bone in rib,brisket,whole fillets,sirloin joints and you say ” the variety from the co-op isn’t good” mmmm…
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Oh I hope that doesn’t mean a hyke in prices for you guys. I am a Guernsey girl now living in Somerset and am fortunate to have Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Somerfield Sainsbury’s and Waitrose all within an 8 mile radius. Waitrose is by far the most expensive shopping trolley and we only ever go there “for a treat” much as we do with M&S food
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Thank you Kevin
Wisely said , hopefully people will have realised that I am saying the same albeit turning it slightly tongue in cheek
People always say things like “well he only fill shelves in a shop” trouble is that if he didn’t how would you get your food ? Personally as a fully qualified accountant I CHOSE to work in a shop as you get more satisfaction knowing you are not ripping anyone off by getting paid huge amounts money for nothing that cant be done by people with one brain cell. Unfortunataly now I have to cope on £157 invalidity benefit but my freezer ius tacked full of sirloin steak, joints of meat, bacon and many other things – the MAIN reason i live so well is that there are GREAT shops here who don’t all throw away food in the same way Asda / Tesco do, its called the YELLOW/RED stickers. If you are ignorant and avoid those items then its your problem , Due to stringent trading standards shops are not allowed to sell anything that would harm your health, More than one store I know here in Guernsey GIVES many bin sacks of perfectly usuable food to charities and old peoples homes everyday, this is the food that YOU could be eating and buying for a fraction of its normal cost but are too bothered about slobbing out on over priced ready meals because you are too lazy.
I currently have 3 polysterene trays in my freezer, from different establishments, containing fillet steak, both trays will, with potatoes and veg , give me 2 meals for the princley sum of 60pence , get off your backside and do a “proper” shop instead of just nipping in and grabbing something. I hope it wasnt any of the complainers on here that i was behind at M&S today with paying £160 for just over half a trolly load
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I work for safeway and im so pleased we are becoming waitrose, as the store so needs bringing up to date, its going to be instresting to see the changes, and the staff are at last going to be treated with respect, because there are some lovely people i work with.
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Kevin – I’ve read a few of your posts now, particuarly the one where you and Lynnie are ranting. I like the Co-op, I shop there (on the Bridge) where I mentioned in another post about a whole punnet of rotten pears were. It hasn’t stopped me shopping there as some days the fruit/veg is good, and I buy it. I’m merely stating that I want more competition, we’re entitled to more choice. I find the service I get at the Bridge Co-op excellent. As soon as I told the guy about the pears he removed them and came around the shop looking for me to tell me there were now fresh ones there. But let’s be honest, they should’ve been noticed a long time before that, they would’ve started going off about a week before I got there!
Anyway – I prefer M&S beef. I won’t buy it from the Co-op but they do have lots of other thigns I prefer to buy there than I would anywhere else. I do get frustrated that I have to go to 2 or 3 supermarkets to get what I want though.
I’m entitled to my opinion. You shouldn’t take what I say personally.
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and yes “mate”, the weekly shop is a big part of my life as I like to feed my family on decent, fresh produce which I work hard to pay for. I don’t appreciate getting ripped off and paying 4 times more than what people living in the UK do. I could easily go and buy a load of buy one get one free cheap Heritage biscuits, crisps, frozen food with 100′s of e numbers in, feed it to my family and be done with it then use the rest of my spare time spending 3 hours on Facebook swearing and cyber fighting with other young mums, smoking fags and drinking cheap wine. So yes, I will moan at things on here should I get the chance and moan about the things that are important to me like decent food and my hard earned money being spent on it!
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