ZAANDAM, The Netherlands, Nov. 5, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ahold today announced that it has closed the transaction relating to the purchase of the 20% interest of Canica AS in the Scandinavian joint venture ICA AB. Simultaneously, the sale of half of this stake to ICA Forbundet Invest AB, the other joint venture partner, has been completed. On October 25, 2004, Ahold had already announced that it had reached agreement on the purchase of Canica's stake.
Furthermore, Ahold today announced that, in line with the announcement of October 25, 2004, ICA AB has paid an extraordinary dividend of SEK 5.5 billion (approximately EUR 606 million). This dividend was paid to Ahold and ICA Forbundet in proportion to their final stake in ICA AB, respectively 60% and 40%.