Some 18 Albert Heijn stores saw their locks glued shut on Thursday night, in an act of vandalism with no clear motive according to Dutch authorities.
The affected stores are all located in Amsterdam, with both door locks and in some cases roller shutters affected, a company spokesperson told news portal nos.nl.
While Albert Heijn expects all stores to be fully operational again over the course of Friday morning, staff at several outlets were forced to wait outside before they could commence work, the paper reported.
"We are doing everything we can to ensure that the stores can open," the spokesperson said.
Amsterdam police are said to be investigating the motive behind the glueing of the locks.
First DEEN Conversion Opened
Elsewhere, Albert Heijn opened its first converted former DEEN outlet this week, with Marit van Egmond, general manager Albert Heijn on hand to unveil the new Albert Heijn in Avenhorn.
The store is the first of some 38 outlets that the Ahold Delhaize-owned retailer has taken over from DEEN.
"Together with our new colleagues, we will ensure that customers quickly feel at home in our stores," van Egmond commented at the opening. "That starts with the trusted store team, but the beloved DEEN products that we keep in our range, such as flowers and plants, certainly help.
"We are now working hard to convert the stores so that customers can quickly do their daily shopping again.”
The DEEN acquisition was formally completed earlier this month.
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