Ahold, Delhaize to divest 86 stores as companies await merger decision
ZAANDAM, The Netherlands and BRUSSELS, Belgium — As the Federal Trade Commission approaches a decision on their proposed merger, Delhaize Group and Ahold on Thursday announced that they would be divesting a combined total of 86 stores in areas where both their U.S. subsidiaries operate.
The merger, which was announced last year and approved by the companies’s shareholders in March, will see Ahold paying $11 billion for Delhaize. The stores being sold make up 4.1% of the two companies’ total combined count of stores in the United States and 3.2% of combined net sales.
“Selling stores is a difficult part of any merger process, given the impact on our associates, customers and communities in which we operate," Delhaize Group president and CEO Frans Muller said. “We believe we have made every effort to identify strong buyers for these locations, and we want to thank our loyal associates and customers who have shopped our stores and supported us for so many years. Upon the completion of the merger, we will continue to maintain our local Food Lion and Hannaford brands; however, our new company scale will enable us to accelerate our local market strategies to better serve our customers with nearly 2,000 stores along the East Coast in the United States.”
The buyers for the stores are:
New Albertson’s (part of Albertson’s) is purchasing one Giant Food store in Salisbury, Md.;
Big Y will be buying 8 Hannaford stores in eastern Massachusetts;
Publix is purchasing 10 Martin’s stores in Richmond, Va.;
Saubel’s Markets is purchasing one Food Lion store in York, Pa.
Supervalu will be buying 22 Food Lion Stores across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia;
Tops Markets is purchasing one Stop & Shop store in Massachusetts and three Stop & Shop and two Hannaford locations in New York; and
Weis Markets will purchase 38 Food Lion stores in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
“The combination of Ahold and Delhaize Group is a unique opportunity to deliver even more for customers, associates and local communities. Together, Ahold and Delhaize Group have been working hard to resolve the competition concerns raised by the FTC, and we are pleased to have found strong, wellestablished buyers for the stores we are required to divest.”
The companies expect a decision from the FTC by the end of July.