Ahold subsidiary Stop & Shop in the U.S. opens new 'low energy' superstore

Zaandam, The Netherlands, November 8, 2001 - Stop & Shop, a leading Ahold supermarket chain in the United States, opened a revolutionary new 'low energy' super store in Foxboro, Massachusetts today. Stop & Shop is the market leader with 321 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Annual sales total approximately USD 7.7 billion.

The low energy superstore project is the result of three years of research and development aimed at reducing the energy usage of a single store by 30%. 'Energy is a large cost incurred in all of our stores,' says Marc Smith, President & CEO Stop & Shop. 'By using innovative methods to cut energy use, we drive significant costs out of the business and at the same time reduce our impact on the environment. With over 9,000 Ahold stores around the world, the experience gathered in Massachusetts will positively impact our store operations worldwide in coming years.'

Energy-saving features
'When you walk into the store, you are struck by the inflow of daylight,' observes Smith. 'State of the art energy-saving features are built into the overall store design.' A significant number of skylights maximize the use of natural daylight. Coupled with dimming controls and high efficiency luminaries, this should result in approximately a 50% reduction in energy usage for interior and exterior lighting. 'The added benefit is that this creates a more pleasant atmosphere for customers and associates to enjoy,' he continues. Efficient, state of the art refrigeration systems help reduce related energy consumption by a projected 26%. Insulation and reflective paint on the roof contribute to more efficient heating and cooling. Overall construction materials were selected for environmental performance and recycled content.

Know-how transfer around the network
The low energy super store project utilizes knowledge tapped from Ahold operating units all over the world. 'The first step was to survey experts at our operating companies to find out what methods they've used to improve efficiency,' said Smith. 'It was important to develop solutions that would be feasible for future introduction into other Ahold companies around the world. Certain innovations from the project are already being incorporated elsewhere.'

Ahold's commitment to the low energy super store project is part of a corporate policy to decrease the environmental consequences of energy consumption.

Ahold is a multi-local food retail and foodservice company with over 9,000 stores and serving 35 million customers in 27 countries every week. Sales total approximately Euro 65 billion.


Stop & Shop photo's can be requested at Ahold Communications