European grocery giants with US stores announce $29B merger

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By MIKE CORDER

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV, which operates U.S. supermarket chains Stop & Shop and Giant, has agreed to merge with its Belgian counterpart Delhaize Group, in a deal that creates a $29 billion company that will serve over 50 million customers a week across the Atlantic.

The all-shares merger, which will lead to the formation of a single company called Ahold Delhaize with more than 6,500 stores, is expected to be completed in mid-2016, subject to regulators' and shareholder approval, the companies said Wednesday in a joint press release.

Based on the companies' market values on Wednesday, the new company would be worth about 26 billion euros ($29 billion).

Delhaize, which owns supermarkets throughout Belgium, also operates the Hannaford and Food Lion stores in the eastern United States. As well as its U.S. stores, Ahold owns the Albert Heijn chain of supermarkets, which has more than 850 stores in the Netherlands and 25 in Belgium.

FULL story at link.



An Albert Heijn shopping bag sits in a bicycle crate as shoppers leave and enter an Albert Heijn store of Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 24, 2015. Ahold, which operates U.S. supermarket chains Stop & Shop and Giant, has agreed to merge with its Belgian counterpart Delhaize Group, in a deal that creates a company that will serve more than 50 million customers a week across the Atlantic. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150624/eu--netherlands-ahold-delhaize-224388307b.html

[elleng]

1. Would like to see more good Belgian chocolate in my grocery stores,

Giant, ALREADY owned by Ahold!

[olddots]

2. its a small world after all

[cstanleytech]

3. And thats supposed to imply what exactly? This isnt like say Publix buying Delhaize in which case

there would be alot of overlap and alot of people would probably be losing their jobs the two companies in this merger rarely overlap as Ahold sold its southeast chains roughly 10 years ago and its remaining chains are in the northeast and Delhaize chains are mostly in the southeast.

[C Moon]

4. Off topic a bit...

In So Cal we had some stores move in from the UK (I believe) called Fresh and Easy...

One was built down the street from us. It was very convenient: prices were good, the produce was okay, they had a fair selection.
Within several years, though, they announced they were going to close all the stores. But then they were bought out by a health food chain called Henry's. Eventually, many of the stores—including the one near us—were closed.

A funny thing, though:
After the announcement that the store was being built, I told a co-worker, "They're building a Fresh and Easy grocery store near us, have you heard of them?"

He gave me a smirk and said, "No. But can I get one of their t-shirts?"

[Amishman]

5. I was not aware that Giant was already foreign owned

More of a reason to shop at Weis or Redners I guess.