ZAANDAM, The Netherlands, April 17, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ahold (NYSE:AHO), the international food retailer and foodservice operator, today opened a new financial center in Geneva, Switzerland. This new center, Ahold Finance Group Suisse, focuses on inter-company financing, European cashpooling and European centralized payment. The new center includes Ahold's Treasury & Corporate Finance Department. Initially, the total group consists of 10 specialists of which six will be relocated from Zaandam to Geneva.
The new financial center has been established to help safeguard the sustainability of Ahold's current level of effective tax rate in the future. As an international company, Ahold has taken this step to be optimally prepared in the uncertain fiscal situation within the European Union.
As of today, Ahold operates three financial centers: Zaandam, Chantilly (Virginia) and Geneva.
Ahold is a multi-local food retail and foodservice company serving 40 million customers in 28 countries.
This Ahold press release contains a "forward-looking statement". Actual results may differ from such statement as it may have been influenced by factors beyond the company's ability to control, as more fully discussed in the company's annual report.