The Dutch-headquartered supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize disclosed on Monday that it had initiated precautionary steps in response to a cybersecurity incident affecting its retail footprint in the United States, Netherlands and Belgium.
Operational disruptions have touched distribution networks, digital grocery ordering platforms and in-store price displays, though the company has not clarified whether these stemmed directly from the breach or from the defensive actions taken in response.
According to the retailer, its technical teams "are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue," with measures including "taking some systems offline to help protect them." The company added that "At this time, our stores are open and serving customers."
Ahold Delhaize maintains operations across nine countries with a workforce exceeding 400,000 employees. In North America, the group controls Food Lion and Stop & Shop among its portfolio brands.
The retailer has declined to disclose specifics regarding the incident's nature or whether personal information belonging to customers or staff was accessed or exfiltrated.
Staff accounts and customer complaints
Employees at Food Lion locations have shared details about the situation via social platforms, with some management communications characterizing the event as an information technology outage.
A Stop & Shop customer voiced frustration over the absence of communication regarding delivery status, noting they were homebound and anxious about a package expected Thursday.
Impact across European subsidiaries
The Netherlands experienced disruptions beginning Sunday afternoon at Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall, according to reporting by NOS. Albert Heijn's digital platforms and customer support channels went offline, home delivery services halted, and electronic price tags began displaying stale promotional information. The chain confirmed it had severed connections to safeguard its technology infrastructure but offered no restoration timeline.
Belgian operations saw Delhaize customers unable to submit fresh orders or reach support services, as VRT News reported. The company's website and mobile application remained accessible to users.
Ahold Delhaize stated that "Protecting our infrastructure in the best interest of our customers, associates and partners is a top priority" and expressed regret, saying "We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused customers and partners."
Prior security breach
The company experienced a cyberattack in 2024 that disrupted major supermarket operations throughout the United States. That incident resulted in the theft of personal information affecting more than 2.2 million individuals from Ahold Delhaize's systems.
