Dive Brief:
- Ahold Delhaize recorded comparable-store sales growth excluding gas of just under 3% in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2025, up from about 1% in the same period a year ago, the grocery company announced Wednesday.
- Net sales rose by about 2% at constant exchange rates, to 12.9 billion euros ($14.8 billion), an improvement over last year’s Q3, when it recorded a sales decline.
- Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. net sales were partly brought down by the Dutch grocery company’s closure of several dozen Stop & Shop stores as part of its efforts to turn around the East Coast supermarket chain.
Dive Insight:
While Ahold Delhaize’s decision to shutter 32 Stop & Shop locations last year impacted the company’s overall results during Q3, executives said during an earnings call Wednesday morning that they are nonetheless pleased by the chain’s improved performance.
Stop & Shop has made price investments at 70% of its stores and intends to extend those to 88 additional locations in Massachusetts, Ahold Delhaize President and CEO Frans Muller said. The chain’s online penetration is now at 10%, he added.
“[O]ur associates are improving the quality of service and in-store execution, optimizing promotional effectiveness and tightening day-to-day operations,” CFO Jolanda Poots-Bijl said about Stop & Shop. “While there's plenty of work ahead of us, I am encouraged by the positive first response from customers.”
Across its U.S. banners, Ahold Delhaize has made significant progress in boosting its digital sales, Poots-Bijl added. E-commerce sales were up 15.4% stateside during the quarter, an improvement that she said reflects the company’s focus on using its stores to fulfill online orders.
“As online further evolves, so too will our operations and infrastructure with it. We will further evaluate our fulfillment operations to optimize the customer experience and improve online profitability,” Poots-Bijl said.
Ahold Delhaize has so far not seen a material impact to its results from the disruptions to SNAP payments stemming from the federal government shutdown, Poots-Bijl noted.
The company has made market share gains in the U.S., indicating that it’s trending ahead of competitors, Muller said. He attributed the gains to the grocer’s efforts to bring down prices and increase its e-commerce sales.
Muller added that Ahold Delhaize intends to increase private label growth across its banners, noting that it plans to review 90% of its private label categories.
“By harmonizing assortments, accelerating innovation and aligning product development across our regions, our teams can respond faster and with greater position to what customers want compared to competition,” he said. “This agility helps us deliver differentiated value and quality while simplifying operations and improving profitability.”
