ARACAJU, Brazil and ZAANDAM, The Netherlands, December 21, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ahold (NYSE:AHO), the international food retail and foodservice company, today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire the operational assets of Brazilian supermarket company G. Barbosa. A family owned company, G. Barbosa operates 32 hypermarkets and supermarkets in the northeastern Brazilian states of Sergipe and Bahia with sales of approximately Euro 300 million. The acquisition strengthens Ahold's existing operation in Brazil under the Bompreco brand name. Bompreco is headquartered in Recife, Pernambuco.
G. Barbosa is a family owned company with 32 stores. It employs 5,300 people. The company, founded in 1955, has a loyal customer base and ranks 9th in sales among the Brazilian supermarket companies. Local Ahold executives and members of the Barbosa family will jointly manage the company. The G. Barbosa stores continue under their own name. Completion of the transaction is expected by the first quarter of 2002. Including G. Barbosa, Ahold will operate close to 150 supermarkets and hypermarkets in northeastern Brazil with combined annual sales of approximately Euro 2 billion.
Remarks by Ahold Board member Allan Noddle
Allan Noddle, member of the Ahold Corporate Executive Board, called the acquisition an important step in further improving Ahold's position in the Brazilian and Latin American markets. "The addition of the G. Barbosa stores allows us to again serve more Brazilian families. Our increased size and new economies of scale will create benefits for the consumer. We're very pleased with the transaction."
Comments by President Noel Barbosa
Noel Barbosa, current President and representative of the Barbosa family mentioned his great pleasure with the transaction. "The Barbosa family now partners with Ahold. We're proud to see our local brand name will be preserved. It shows the communities in which we operate and our staff that their loyalty and appreciation are recognized. The acquisition by Ahold allows for the expansion of the company started by Mr. Gentil Barbosa in 1955."
Ahold profile
Ahold is an international food retail and food service company headquartered in The Netherlands. It owns 40 food retail and foodservice companies in 28 countries operating approximately 9,000 supermarkets, hypermarkets and other store formats with 2001 sales of approximately Euro 65 billion. In South and Central America Ahold has operations in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua, with sales of over Euro 5 billion.
Ahold, a public company, is listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam (AHLN), the NYSE (AHO) and Zurich.
Photos available on request at Ahold Corporate Communications.
This Ahold press release contains 'forward-looking statements.' Actual results may differ from such statements as they may have been influenced by factors beyond the company's ability to control, as more fully discussed in the company's annual report.