Expansion earns Albert Heijn market share growth despite tobacco ban

Albert Heijn saw its market share grow in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The negative impact of the tobacco ban was more than offset by the acquisition of Jan Linders.

Healthy growth

Albert Heijn’s Dutch market share rose from 36.8 % in 2023 to 37.7 % in 2024, NielsenIQ data point out. The market leader is gaining market share there for the sixth year in a row, despite the decision to stop selling tobacco on 1 January 2024 – six months before the ban officially took effect. Part of the explanation lies in the fact that last year was the first year that all 44 acquired Jan Linders stores contributed to the figures. Despite claiming market share growth for Belgium, Albert Heijn did not release separate market share figures for the country.

The retailer sees an increase in the number of customers, greater loyalty among existing customers, and an increasing success of healthier and sustainable products. Sales of products with Nutri-Score A or B increased by 0.8 %, while fewer products fell into those categories as the criteria became stricter. Organic fruit and vegetable sales were up 16 %. The online delivery service grew by double digits for the sixth consecutive year. The Albert Heijn private label now accounts for 55 % of sales.

Expansion also contributed to the growth: the chain opened thirteen new stores in the Netherlands and five in Flanders last year. This brought the total to 1,276 stores.