Zaandam, The Netherlands / Madrid, Spain; September 1, 2000 - Royal Ahold, the international food provider, today announced it has strengthened the management of its Spanish operations in anticipation of major future growth in Spain.
The Ahold Corporate Executive Board has appointed José Maria Vara Izquierdo (40) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ahold Spain, effective September 1, 2000. Vara Izquierdo will be responsible for the company’s entire Spanish operations. He joins Ahold from Carrefour’s Continente where he served as General Manager of the Hypermarket division. Vara Izquierdo will operate from Madrid, where Ahold’s Spanish headquarters are located. He holds an MBA from IESE in Barcelona and an Agronomics degree from the Polytechnic University in Madrid.
The Corporate Executive Board has also appointed Willem Kesteloo (47) to the position of Vice President Support Group, Ahold Spain. Kesteloo, currently Country Manager Ahold Spain, has been instrumental in building Ahold’s Spanish presence since 1998 when the first store chain was acquired. He will head a support group of experienced specialists to maximize synergies and benefits from rapidly growing economies of scale. The Support Group assists Ahold’s Spanish operations in various areas, including sourcing, store format development, distribution and logistics, IT, human resources and management development. Kesteloo, who holds an MBA from Nyenrode University in The Netherlands, will liaise with Ahold’s Dutch-based European Competence Center.
Ahold in Spain
With more than 230 stores and annualized sales of approximately Euro 500 million, Ahold’s Spanish operations have expanded considerably since 1998 and now stretch from Madrid to southern Spain and Catalonia. Ahold expects to grow considerably, internally and through acquisitions.
Royal Ahold
Royal Ahold operates approximately 7,000 supermarkets, hypermarkets and other store formats in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia with annualized sales approaching Euro 50 billion. The company is also developing significant experience in the foodservice industry and as an e-commerce player. Ahold employs over 350,000 associates and serves the food needs of over 30 million loyal customers in 23 countries every week.