British supermarket chain Morrisons has revealed plans to invest more than £7m ($9.02m) to upgrade and rebrand 36 newly acquired convenience stores across the Channel Islands.

The investment comes as Morrisons completed the acquisition of these stores from SandpiperCI.

The acquired stores are located in Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.

Morrisons chief executive Rami Baitiéh said: "I am delighted that now the transaction has completed we can welcome 520 new colleagues into the Morrisons family.”

The retailer’s current portfolio includes 19 Morrisons Daily stores, with the remaining operating under various local brands such as Iceland, Chequers Express, and Le Cocq.

In the upcoming months, all the stores except two Le Cocq locations will undergo rebranding to the Morrisons format.

Morrisons' convenience, online and wholesale director Joseph Sutton 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.”

With this expansion, Morrisons continues to strengthen its presence in the convenience sector.

Currently, the company operates around 1,600 convenience stores across the UK, including approximately 600 franchise stores, as well as about 500 full-sized supermarkets.

In September, Morrisons announced a 2.9% rise in group like-for-like sales, excluding fuel and VAT, in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023/2024.