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BRUSSELS — Delhaize Group of Belgium and Netherlands-based supermarket operator Ahold acknowledged Tuesday that they are in talks about a merger that would unite Delhaize’s Food Lion and Hannaford grocery store chains with Ahold’s Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant and Martin’s Food Market chains in the United States, creating the nation’s fifth-largest food retailer.
Delhaize Group of Belgium and Netherlands-based supermarket operator Ahold acknowledged Tuesday that they are in talks about a merger that would unite Delhaize’s Food Lion and Hannaford grocery store chains with Ahold’s Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant and Martin’s Food Market chains in the United States, creating the nation’s fifth-largest food retailer.
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Ahold and Delhaize issued statements saying they are in discussions "to explore the opportunity of combining the two companies."
The statements characterize the talks as "preliminary" and assert that they "may or may not result in a future transaction."
Both companies gain the majority of their revenue in the United States. A merger would establish a formidable supermarket competitor along the East Coast, where each is concentrated.
Ahold USA, the U.S. arm of Netherlands-based Royal Ahold NV, operates 775 supermarkets in 14 states from Massachusetts to Virginia. Delhaize has 1,100 Food Lion stores in 10 states and 186 Hannaford stores in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York.
