Sales up at newly merged supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ahold Delhaize, the recently merged Dutch-Belgian operator of U.S. supermarket chains including Stop & Shop and Giant, says its sales rose sharply to 15.1 billion euros ($16 billion) in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to a strong performance in the Netherlands.
Ahold Delhaize, created last year by the merger of Dutch and Belgian supermarket operators, generates about 61 percent of its revenue in the U.S.
Pro forma sales for the new company, which exclude the effects of currency exchange rates and extra selling days in 2015, rose 2.8 percent to 15.5 billion euros ($16.5 billion).
The company said Thursday that comparable sales at its Ahold USA unit edged down 0.2 percent while Delhaize America's comparable sales rose 2.2 percent with sales volumes rising at both Food Lion and Hannaford.
