In order to get approval from the American Bureau of Competition for the merger, Dutch Ahold and Belgian Delhaize are willing to sell 83 supermarkets, which probably means its Martin’s supermarket chain would disappear almost entirely.
More than 2,000 stores now
Trade paper Food World listed the 83 stores that Ahold and Delhaize are willing to discard to get FTC approval for their merger. That lists contains about 20 Martin’s stores, 3 Stop & Shops and 9 Giant/Landover stores. Delhaize would get rid of several Food Lion and Hannaford stores. Ahold chain Martin’s may disappear entirely, particularly in regions where Delhaize’s Food Lion is strongly represented, according to the paper.
If the merger is approved, the newly-formed company would have 2,077 stores in the United States and the region would contribute two thirds of group turnover, making it the company’s most important market – by far.
Analysts do not feel this number should be an obstacle for the merger, but Ahold Delhaize refused to confirm nor deny the number. Maybe Delhaize CEO Frans Muller will reveal something during his talk at the RetailDetail Congress in April…
