Ahold Delhaize

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. operates retail food stores and e-commerce primarily in the United States and Europe. Its store formats include supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores, and hypermarkets. It also subleases its stores to franchisees. 

As of January 2, 2022, it operated 7,452 stores primarily under local brands serving approximately 55 million customers, as well as online. The company was formerly known as Koninklijke Ahold N.V. and changed its name to Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. in July 2016. Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Zaandam, the Netherlands.

Ahold Delhaize was formed in July 2016, from the merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group. Delhaize Group dates back to 1867 when the Delhaize brothers opened a wholesale grocery business in Charleroi, Belgium. Ahold started in 1887 when Albert Heijn opened the first store in the Dutch town of Oostzaan.

In 2018, the company experienced significant growth in the United States, the Netherlands, and online. Growth in Belgium has been minimal. With around 380,000 employees in almost 7,000 stores, the company achieved a turnover of 66 billion euros in 2019. Beginning in June 2020, Ahold Delhaize implemented a partnership with Instacart to provide home delivery from more than 750 stores operating under the Hannaford, Food Lion, Giant Food, and Stop & Shop brands. 

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 plans to establish Ship2Me, an online marketplace featuring food and merchandise items, in the second half of the year.

“Today, our ambition is clear – we will help drive a healthier society.”

“When we reduce food waste, we operate more efficiently and minimize our impact on the planet. When we make it easy and fun for associates and customers to eat healthier, we can help drive down disease rates and enable future generations to thrive."