Zaandam, the Netherlands, March 2, 2022 – Ahold Delhaize today publishes its 2021 Annual Report, an integrated report that provides an overview of the Company’s financial and ESG performance in 2021. The Annual Report will be on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM), which will be held on April 13, 2022. Later today the 2022 AGM convocation and meeting agenda will be published.
Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize, said: “I am proud of our performance and what we have been able to achieve in 2021. Despite expectations that the world would return to pre-pandemic life, COVID-19 continued to have a major impact in our brands’ markets – and kept our people very busy. I have enormous appreciation for associates in stores, distribution centers and support offices across Ahold Delhaize and its brands who worked so incredibly hard to serve the needs of customers and communities.”
As a result, from a business standpoint, Ahold Delhaize went from strength to strength on many fronts during the year. Consumer trends around cooking and eating at home, shopping online and healthy eating have remained and evolved, and convenience continued to grow in importance. Ahold Delhaize’s great local brands have geared up their online propositions, delivery services, click and collect locations and brought unique customer experiences to their markets with new loyalty programs to truly enable customers to shop whenever and wherever they want.
Over the past year, associates, customers and shareholders have become even more aware of global challenges and the need to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system. Ahold Delhaize doubled down on its commitment to its climate strategy and brought forward its net-zero carbon emissions target for scope 1 and 2 by 10 years to 2040. Embedded in Ahold Delhaize’s belief that what is healthy for people, is healthy for the planet, another sharpened ambition is the increased target for healthy own-brand food sales to be at least 55% by 2025.
Looking forward
An important milestone for Ahold Delhaize during the year was announcing updates to its long-term strategy “Leading Together” and key medium-term commitments during its Investor Day in November. This growth and investment plan includes a step up in investments in digital, automation and state-of-the-art infrastructure to drive innovation and support Ahold Delhaize’s accelerated growth plans to 2025.
The 2021 Annual Report is available here.
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Cautionary notice
This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words and expressions such as 2022, will, have, need, commitment, strategy, target, 2040, belief, ambition, by, 2025, long-term, plan(s), growth or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the “Company”) to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company’s public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company’s management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Company’s management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.
For more information:
- Press office: +31 88 6595134 / media.relations@aholddelhaize.com
- Investor relations: +31 88 659 5213
- Social media: Instagram: @Ahold-Delhaize | LinkedIn: @Ahold-Delhaize | Twitter: @AholdDelhaize
About Ahold Delhaize
Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce. Its family of great local brands serves 55 million customers each week, both in stores and online, in the United States, Europe, and Indonesia. Together, these brands employ more than 413,000 associates in 7,452 grocery and specialty stores and include the top online retailer in the Benelux and the leading online grocers in the Benelux and the United States. Ahold Delhaize brands are at the forefront of sustainable retailing, sourcing responsibly, supporting local communities and helping customers make healthier choices. The company’s focus on four growth drivers – drive omnichannel growth, elevate healthy and sustainable, cultivate best talent and strengthen operational excellence – is helping to fulfil its purpose, achieve its vision and prepare its brands and businesses for tomorrow. Headquartered in Zaandam, the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels stock exchanges (ticker: AD) and its American Depositary Receipts are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. and quoted on the OTCQX International marketplace (ticker: ADRNY). For more information, please visit: www.aholddelhaize.com.
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