Ahold and former Board members agree to independent arbitration on severance package


ZAANDAM, Netherlands, March 21, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Certain recent press articles on the separation of Ahold (NYSE:AHO) and Cees van der Hoeven and Michiel Meurs suggest that Van der Hoeven and Meurs have asked for excessive severance packages which the company has refused to accommodate. This is not correct.

Ahold, Van der Hoeven and Meurs have jointly agreed in the context of their separation that the determination of any severance package must be left to an impartial body, in this case an arbitration tribunal, which will be composed of persons with experience in this area and not having (had) any relationship with either Ahold, Cees van der Hoeven and Michiel Meurs to ensure complete objectivity of the proceedings.

http://reports.huginonline.com/896429/115062.pdf

Ahold Corporate Communications: +31.75.659.5720