Albert Heijn: delivery service won’t be back to full capacity until next week

Albert Heijn is gradually recovering from the cybersecurity incident on October 11. In the Netherlands, the first customers can once again order groceries online, while home delivery in Belgium will resume on Monday. However, several digital savings and discount promotions remain unavailable. The supermarket chain plans to offer compensation to affected customers.

Delivery slowly getting back on track

The cyberattack that has been disrupting Ahold Delhaize’s systems since Sunday, October 11, continues to affect service. As a precaution, the company shut down several IT systems to prevent further damage. The retailer is now gradually bringing its digital services back online.

In the Netherlands, the first customers have been able to order groceries again via the online store since Wednesday, October 21. For now, only customers with a Delivery Package and business customers have access. Starting Friday, October 23, Albert Heijn will gradually resume deliveries, but available capacity is currently only one-third of the normal level.

In Belgium, the recovery is taking longer. There, delivery drivers will not return to the roads until Monday, October 26. The supermarket chain is still canceling orders placed through Saturday, October 24. The website and the Mijn AH app are now functioning again, and customers can log back into their personal accounts. Product availability in stores is also improving.

Discounts and promotions still disrupted

However, not all problems have been resolved. For Belgian customers, the personal Bonus Box—which allows customers to receive personalized offers—is not yet working. The promotional “scratch card” feature in the Mijn AH app, also remains out of service due to the cybersecurity incident. Albert Heijn cannot yet say when both services will be available again. For customers who were unable to collect or redeem pot stamps due to the outage, Albert Heijn will automatically provide two full loyalty cards in the form of a coupon.

In the Netherlands, customers with a Delivery Bundle will receive ten euros in store credit, in addition to the ten euros Albert Heijn had already promised to customers whose orders expired between October 11 and 22. For business customers, the retailer is still working on a compensation plan. In Belgium, Albert Heijn also promises compensation for missed personal discounts. The company intends to grant these automatically as much as possible, but has not yet announced a specific arrangement.

Meanwhile, parent company Ahold Delhaize is investigating the cause and scope of the cybersecurity incident. The group has filed a report with the Dutch police. According to the information available so far, there are no indications that personal data was compromised in the incident.

Because they hold large amounts of customer data and payment information, retailers are highly vulnerable to hacking. At the RetailDetail Night on November 19 in Brussels, “ethical hacker” Inti De Ceukelaire will demonstrate how this vulnerability is now shifting from humans to artificial intelligence. So be sure to register for the RetailDetail Night on November 19.