Ahold Delhaize has announced that its Belgian subsidiaries have agreed to divest five stores and one unspecified project in the country, in order to satisfy conditions set by the Belgian Competition Authority after the merger of Dutch retailer Ahold and Belgium's Delhaize in 2016.
Lidl Belgium will acquire three Albert Heijn stores (in Leuven, Oudenaarde and Antwerp) and one project, and Tanger will buy one Albert Heijn store and one Proxy Delhaize store in Antwerp.
These agreements are subject to standard closing conditions. After these are fulfilled, the assets will be transferred within three months.
The retailer said that its dealings with employees would respect Belgian labour laws and regulations.
The competition authority originally green-lit the Ahold-Delhaize merger on 15 March, 2016, with the requirement that eight Albert Heijn stores, five Delhaize stores, and a number of Belgian projects be divested.
Until these conditions are met, Albert Heijn and Delhaize stores in Belgium must operate in separation.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
