Sandpiper sell French soft drink bottling plant

Tuesday 25th August 2009, 2:58PM BST.

Tony O'Neill, Chief Executive of Sandpiper.

SANDPIPER CI has sold another of its non-core business assets.

The company last week received regulatory approval for the sale of the L’Abeille soft drink bottling plant located to the south-east of Nantes.

Sandpiper, which now owns over 40% of the food retailing sector in Jersey, is jointly owned by Guernsey-incorporated private equity firm Duke Street Capital Holdings and UK-based Europa Capital.

Since acquiring former listed company CI Traders in 2007, Sandpiper has been seeking buyers for all of the non-retailing operations.

Sandpiper’s chief executive, Tony O’Neill, has always said that his goal is to focus expertise and capital into fewer sectors in order to develop the retail business at a faster pace.

• See Tuesday’s JEP for full story.

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