THERE is to be major expansion of Marks & Spencer in Jersey with new stores and the creation of 90 new jobs.

Sandpiper CI, the company that bought CI Traders for £260 million at the beginning of this month, intends to open a new Marks & Spencer food supermarket on the Motor Mall garage site in St Peter. It will also revamp the existing St Brelade store, introducing the Marks homeware range to Jersey for the first time. And it will utilise 8,000 sq ft on the floor above the major Checkers outlet across the road to sell clothing. It is expected that a café will also be included in the first-floor redevelopment. The company, which is the Channel Islands’ biggest employer with 3,500 staff, is also close to opening a new Marks & Spencer food store in St John on the site of the former Melbourne Garage. Sandpiper CI chief executive Tony O’Neill said that the moves were the first manifestation of the new company’s intentions. He said that they were aiming to have the new outlets operating by Christmas.