Zaandam, The Netherlands, September 6, 2001 - Ahold, the international food retail and foodservice company, today announced that the equity offering of its new common shares was successful. Subscription to the offering closed last night ahead of schedule.
The total proceeds of the offering will amount to approximately Euro 2.2 billion, excluding the 15% greenshoe option. Ahold will use the net proceeds to partially finance the proposed acquisitions of Alliant Foodservice, Inc. and Bruno's Supermarkets, Inc.
Price per common share set at Euro 31.90
The offering price per common share has been set at Euro 31.90 and per ADS at USD 28.38. The closing price of the Ahold shares on Euronext Amsterdam on September 5, 2001 was Euro 32.03 and the closing price of the Ahold ADSs on the NYSE was USD 28.52. Ahold will issue 70 million new common shares for a total value of approximately Euro 2.2 billion, excluding the greenshoe option.
Listing and prospectus supplement
The new common shares are expected to be listed on the stock markets of Amsterdam, New York (in the form of ADSs) and Zurich effective September 11, 2001. After the offering, the company will have approximately 902 million common shares outstanding, excluding the greenshoe option.
For the purpose of the public offering of the ADSs in the United States, a prospectus supplement to the shelf registration statement already on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") is expected to be filed with the SEC on September 6, 2001.
The prospectus supplement (including the documents incorporated by reference therein) and the related prospectus will be available at Ahold's corporate headquarters in Zaandam, The Netherlands, and on the Ahold website (www.ahold.com), on or about the time of filing of the prospectus supplement with the SEC.
ABN AMRO Rothschild, Goldman Sachs International and Merrill Lynch International were joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners for the offering. ING Barings, Kempen & Co. and Rabo Securities acted as co-managers.
Comments by Cees van der Hoeven, Ahold President & CEO
'Investors have expressed strong appreciation for our multi-channel strategy, our rapid worldwide growth, excellent interim results and favorable outlook,' said Ahold President & CEO Cees van der Hoeven, commenting on the equity offering. 'The large demand once again confirms the trust and confidence of our shareholders in Ahold. Investors are particularly positive about our proposed acquisitions of Alliant Foodservice and Bruno's Supermarkets.'
Ahold
Ahold currently operates approximately 8,600 supermarkets, hypermarkets and other store formats in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The company has a significant presence in the foodservice sector and is developing a range of other products, including financial services and internet-based home delivery. Ahold employs approximately 420,000 people in 25 countries. Ahold's website can be found at www.ahold.com. The information on the Ahold website is not incorporated by reference into this press release.
Ahold Public Relations, tel.: +31 75 659 5720 / 5665
Mobile: Hans Gobes, tel.: +31 6 55 82 22 98; Jan Hol, tel.: +31 6 22 93 31 37
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