Stop & Shop New York and New England divisions to merge
QUINCY, Mass., and SALISBURY, N.C. — Ahold USA and Delhaize America unveiled plans to further strengthen their U.S. brands. This plan will be headlined by the merger of its Stop & Shop New York Metro and Stop & Shop New England Divisions into one brand organization.
“Having a single brand organizational structure dedicated to Stop & Shop will strengthen the brand and will ensure it can better leverage its brand to serve the unique needs of customers in the different markets that Stop & Shop serves,” the company stated.
This move comes in the wake of the merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group on July 24, 2016, creating the largest grocery retailer group on the U.S. East Coast. Part of the strategy includes Ahold and Delhaize’s December announcement of the creation of Retail Business Services LLC. According to Ahold, the creation of Retail Business Services will allow the Stop & Shop, Giant Foods, GIANT/MARTIN’S, Peapod, Food Lion and Hannaford brands to be able to dedicate full focus on building “their leading positions in their respective markets and deliver even more for customers.”
“Positioning the Ahold USA brands to be even closer to their customers will not only help them deepen their connection in their local communities and win in their markets, it will ensure that associates have exciting and rewarding opportunities to make meaningful contributions to each brand’s success,” said Kevin Holt, COO of Ahold USA.
Ahold USA and Delhaize America are divisions of Royal Ahold Delhaize. The companies will maintain respective offices in Quincy, Mass.; Salisbury, N.C.; Carlisle, Pa.; Scarborough, Maine; Landover, Md. and Skokie, Ill.
"Today's announcements will further strengthen Food Lion and Hannaford's strong brands," said Frans Muller, acting COO (ad interim) of Delhaize America. "The brand-centric structure will enable our Food Lion and Hannaford associates to build even stronger relationships with existing customers and communities in the markets they serve, and win new customers to grow their businesses."