Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (in Dutch literally "Royal Ahold Delhaize"), commonly known as Ahold Delhaize,[5] is a Dutch-Belgian multinational retail and wholesale holding company. Its name comes from the merger between Ahold (Dutch) and Delhaize Group (Belgian), the two merging companies which form the present-day Ahold Delhaize. Its business format includes supermarkets, convenience stores, hypermarkets, online grocery, online non-food, drugstores, and liquor stores. Its 21 local brands employ 414,000 people at 7,659 stores in 10 countries, predominantly its home nations the Netherlands and Belgium.[6] However, the United States has become the single market where two-thirds of the holding company's revenue is generated.[7]
 | |
 Ahold Delhaize headquarters in Zaandam, Netherlands | |
| Company type | Public (N.V.) |
|---|---|
| Euronext Amsterdam: AD AEX component | |
| ISIN | NL0011794037 |
| Industry | |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | 25 July 2016 |
| Headquarters | Zaandam, Netherlands |
Number of locations | 7,659 (2022) |
Key people |
|
| Revenue |  €87 billion (2022)[2] |
| €2.5 billion (2022)[3] | |
Number of employees | 414,000[4] |
| Website | www |
Ahold Delhaize's world headquarters is in Zaandam, just north of Amsterdam.[8] Other countries with Ahold Delhaize businesses include the Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Romania, Serbia, and the United States. It also participates in joint ventures in Indonesia and Portugal.[9][10]
Ahold Delhaize shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels (ticker: AD).[11] Ahold's CEO, Dick Boer, became the CEO of Ahold Delhaize until his retirement in 2018, and Frans Muller, the former CEO of Delhaize Group, succeeded Dick Boer, after previously having served under Dick Boer's supervision, as the deputy CEO, chief integration officer and acting chief operations officer (ad interim) of Delhaize America.[12][13]
Operating more than 2,000 stores of multiple brands across 23 states, Ahold Delhaize is among the largest food and consumables retailers in the United States via its regional subsidiaries.[14]
History
Ahold Delhaize was formed in July 2016 from the merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group.[15][16] Delhaize Group dates back to 1867, when the Delhaize brothers opened a shop in Charleroi, Belgium. Ahold, originally named Albert Heijn N.V., started in 1887 when Albert Heijn bought the general store of his father in the Dutch town of Oostzaan. He gave the store his name and transformed it into a modern specialized grocery together with his wife, Neeltje Heijn. After a few years, he owned a chain of Dutch stores.
In 2018, the company experienced significant growth in the United States (Food Lion), the Netherlands, and online.[17] Growth in Belgium has been minimal.[17]
With around 380,000 employees in almost 7,000 stores, the company achieved a turnover of 66 billion euros in 2019.[18]
Beginning in June 2020, Ahold Delhaize implemented a partnership with Instacart to provide home delivery from more than 750 stores operated under the Hannaford, Food Lion, Giant Food, and Stop & Shop brands.[19] The company further expanded in the United States with the acquisition of a majority stake in FreshDirect, an online grocer. As of 2021, Ahold Delhaize has plans to establish Ship2Me, an online marketplace featuring food and merchandise items, in the second half of the year.[20]
In November 2023, Ahold Delhaize sold FreshDirect to Turkish company Getir.[21] Part of the reason for the sale was so that Ahold Delhaize, specifically Ahold Delhaize USA, could focus more on the "omnichannel experience" and to strengthen its presence in supermarkets and online.
As of 2023, Ahold Delhaize announced the acquisition of Romanian retailer Profi for approximately €1.3 billion from Mid Europa Partners.[22]
Brands and formats
Ahold Delhaize (co-)owns a number of supermarket chains and e-commerce businesses.[23]
| Country | Company | Type | Opening (Acquisition) | Stores | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium | Delhaize | Supermarket | 1867 | 754 | Including Proxy Delhaize (245 stores), AD Delhaize (222 stores), Shop & Go (150 stores), Fresh Atelier (8 stores) and Delhaize.be. |
| Albert Heijn | Supermarket | 2011 | 53 | Including AH.be | |
| Bol.com | E-commerce | 1999 (2012 by Ahold) | n/a | ||
 Czech Republic | Albert | Supermarket | 1991 | 324 | Including Albert Online (e-commerce) |
 Greece | Alfa Beta Vassilopoulos | Supermarket | 1939 (1992 by Delhaize) | 526 | Including AB City (21 stores), AB Food Market (81 stores), AB Shop & Go (122 stores). |
| Ena | Cash & Carry | - (2000 by Delhaize) | 14 | ||
 Indonesia | Super Indo | Supermarket | 1997 | 171 | Joint venture with Salim Group, Ahold Delhaize holds a 51% share. |
 Luxembourg | Delhaize | Supermarket | 54 | Including Proxy Delhaize (21 stores), AD Delhaize (2 stores), Shop & Go (23 stores).! | |
 Netherlands | Albert Heijn | Supermarket | 1877 | 990 | Including AH to go (87 stores), AH XL (37 stores) and AH.nl. |
| Gall & Gall | Liquor store | 1884 (1989 by Ahold) | 588 | ||
| Etos | Drug store | 1919 (1973 by Ahold) | 545 | ||
| Bol.com | E-commerce | 1999 (2012 by Ahold) | n/a | ||
 Portugal | Pingo Doce | Supermarket | 1980 | 436 | Joint venture with Jerónimo Martins, Ahold Delhaize holds a 49% share. |
 Romania | Mega Image | Supermarket | 1995 (2000 by Delhaize) | 854 | Including Shop & Go (435 stores), Mega Image - Concept (4 stores) and Gusturi Romanesti (2 stores). |
| Profi | Supermarket | 2001 (2023 by Delhaize) | 1600 | ||
 Serbia | Maxi | Supermarket | 2000 (2011 by Delhaize) | 434 | Including Shop & Go (192 stores). |
| Tempo | Supermarket | 2003 | 12 | ||
 United States | Bfresh | Supermarket | 2014 | 1 | |
| Food Lion | Supermarket | 1957 (1974 by Delhaize) | 1103 | ||
| Giant-Landover | Supermarket | 1936 (1998 by Ahold) | 166 | ||
| Giant/Martin's (Giant-Carlisle) | Supermarket | 1923 (1981 by Ahold) | 190 | ||
| Hannaford | Supermarket | 1883 (2000 by Delhaize) | 189 | ||
| Peapod | Online grocer | 1989 (2000 (51%), 2001 (100%) by Ahold) | n/a | ||
| Stop & Shop | Supermarket | 1914 (1996 by Ahold) | 415 |
