Delhaize clears final obstacle for Ahold merger

Retail giants Delhaize and Ahold have sold 86 American stores, worth 3.2 % of the companies’ American turnover, in order to get approval for the impending merger.

Finalize merger this month

The American Federal Trade Commission still needs to approve the sale, but that should not pose a problem as it was the one who asked for the sale. The FTC approval is the final legal hurdle prior to an Ahold – Delhaize merger, the Belgian company said. By the end of the month, the entire merger should be finalized.

Delhaize CEO Frans Muller is satisfied: “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.”

Weis Markets (Pennsylvania) acquired 38 stores, the largest deal in relation to these 86 stores. Supervalu (22 stores), Publix (10 stores), Big Y (8 stores), Tops Markets (6 stores), New Albertson’s (1 store) and Saubel’s Markets (1 store) complete the entire process. All stores will be remodeled into stores of their respective new owners.