January 20, 2025 – Ahold Delhaize is proud to announce that the Top Employer Institute (TEI) has recognized both the company and the majority of its great local brands as Top Employers in 2025. This certification recognizes organizations that are dedicated to cultivating great places to work through excellent Human Resources policies and people practices. 

The Top Employer certification highlights Ahold Delhaize’s progress in its Thriving People strategic priority, part of its broader Growing Together strategy, which drives the company’s aspiration to be the leading (#1 or #2) employer of choice in each market. TEI has assessed our brands’ policies and unique practices, which may differ from one another. The recognition celebrates efforts to foster a caring, purpose-driven environment where the brands’ employees are valued, inspired, and empowered to grow and collaborate.  

In 2025, Ahold Delhaize Group and all of its U.S. brands – including ADUSA – achieved the Top Employer certification, alongside several European brands such as Mega Image (Romania), Maxi (Serbia), Alfa Beta (Greece), and Albert (Czechia). The assessment, based on TEI’s HR Best Practices Survey, evaluates organizations based on several areas, including people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, diversity, equity & inclusion, and well-being. 

“We are a people business. Receiving this certification is positive confirmation that our HR strategy is driving meaningful progress across all these areas,” says Natalia Wallenberg, CHRO of Ahold Delhaize. “It's testament to the  efforts of teams in the local brands and Ahold Delhaize Group, recognizing initiatives that prioritize connection with our purpose, collaboration and well-being, while supporting our brands’ communities. “It also proves that Ahold Delhaize is staying true to its promise: to create a supportive workplace that encourages growth and teamwork, where everyone feels heard, valued, and finds purpose in serving our communities.”  

“Meg has been an outstanding leader at Ahold Delhaize USA and has led Food Lion during one of the brand’s most exciting times as it repositioned itself to better serve customers, while staying true to its core attributes of low prices and convenient locations,” said JJ Fleeman, CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA. “Under Meg’s leadership, the brand has experienced tremendous growth, all while remaining true to its purpose of nourishing the towns and cities Food Lion serves. Not only did the Food Lion business thrive, but under Meg’s leadership the brand is on track to deliver 1.5 billion meals by 2025 through its Food Lion Feeds hunger-relief platform. She has been a strong leader for the brand, with a remarkable passion for building strong customer and associate experiences, and we wish her all the best as she transitions to retirement.”
 

Meg added, “While I am looking forward to retirement, Food Lion and Hannaford have been places that I have called home for more than 35 years. I am incredibly grateful to the associates who I have had the opportunity to work alongside every day, to our customers who put their trust in us to nourish their families and to our community partners who work tirelessly every day to feed those who are hungry in our local communities. Throughout my career, I have strived to operate as a humble teacher and a proud learner, and I have cherished the opportunity to learn from the great people I have worked with, and learned from, over the years.”
 

Food Lion is an omnichannel grocery retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors. More than 82,000 associates across more than 1,100 stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. With a focus on hunger relief, Food Lion is a pioneer in food rescue. In 2014, Food Lion Feeds was created and has since donated more than 1.2 billion meals to those who are food insecure. The retailer has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.

“The work we do to support and celebrate our associates is an ongoing priority as part of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Linda Johnson, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Communications, Food Lion. “This recognition from Newsweek underscores the importance of making Food Lion a great place to work. Our associates are the heart of Food Lion and a reflection of the diverse towns and cities we serve.” 

The ranking scored 1,000 companies across the U.S. for their value of diversity in their workplaces. Newsweek, in cooperation with Plant-A Insights Group, used publicly available data, interviews with Human Resources professionals and a large-scale employee study to develop the list. Respondents were asked questions about corporate culture, working environment and more. 

Food Lion, categorized in the Consumer sector, is among the companies across six economic sectors that survey respondents said truly respect and value different kinds of people. 

Food Lion has received ongoing recognition for being a diverse, equitable and inclusive employer. For the past 13 consecutive years, Food Lion has earned a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index. For the past five years, Food Lion has been named one of the Top 50 Best-of-the-Best Corporation for Inclusion by the National Business Inclusion Consortium, spearheaded by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Meg Ham, President of Food Lion, is a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ coalition, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance this important work. 

At Ahold Delhaize, the inclusion of people with disabilities is a priority. More importantly, it is vital be fully reflective of all communities. Therefore, many of our local brands have and are continuously working on several partnerships and initiatives while creating opportunities to support all associates and customers within local communities. Below are just some examples of how our brands are working towards achieving an inclusive workplace for all:  

Delhaize Serbia 

For Delhaize Serbia, the inclusion of people with disabilities is not only a strategic priority in its Diversity & Inclusion agenda, but it’s also their aspiration to be fully reflective of their marketplace. To achieve an inclusive workplace, it’s more than employment, it’s also about everyday activities. This year, Delhaize Serbia achieved the following in being a better inclusive workplace:  

• Its commerce team extended cooperation with two diverse suppliers: Novitas, a local supplier of fruits and vegetables and Gardenika, a seller dried fruit rolls. Both companies' majority of employees are people with disabilities.  
• The quality and product safety team took initiative to assure that all their e-trainings for associates are fully accessible, including narration and subtitles.  

Delhaize Serbia’s journey doesn’t end here, it is continuously working towards a better and inclusive workplace for people with disabilities.  

Giant Food 

Giant Food has several partnerships and initiatives throughout the year to support associates and customers with disabilities. Below are some of Giant Food’s initiatives which they’re continuously working to expand:  

• Giant Food stores partner with their local schools to provide “on-the-job” experience with an assistance of a job coach, to students with disabilities. Students will be hired and paid for several hours each week learning general tasks that help them build customer service and teamworking skills that are useful for any future career of their choice. Through these programs Giant Food has hired many associates with disabilities, creating a better diverse and inclusive company culture.  
• Giant Food’s WIN (Women’s Inclusion Network) increased awareness during Autism Acceptance Month by hosting an EMPOWER Hour featuring expert speaker, Jane Lynn Britton where she discussed balancing work and family life for Autism Families during the pandemic. This brought an increased awareness about the Autism community and showcased the importance of empathizing with associates and customers. In addition, Giant Food associates showed their support and acceptance of the Autism community by wearing red while in working in stores. 
• Giant Food has been a sponsor of Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities for many years. This is an independent, non-profit advocacy organization focused on improving the lives of children and adults with disabilities and their families in the District of Columbia and beyond. They work with people and their family members to solve problems, identify opportunities for learning and contribution, Quality Trust looks for creative ways to minimize differences and make the most of each person’s abilities.  
• The Giant Pharmacy partners with the Arc of Prince George’s County in Maryland to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to community members with developmental/intellectual disabilities. Many of the community members that go to the Arc of Prince George’s County cannot get to a Giant Pharmacy and are more comfortable at the Arc so the Giant Pharmacy has setup a base there where people can come and get their COVID-19 vaccination. Giant Pharmacists will even go out to the car of the people that visit to give them the shot if they are unable to enter the building. Giant Food now looks forward to partnering with the Arc of Prince George’s County going forward. Giant will hold flu vaccinations and other pharmaceutical events there to support people with disabilities. 

Food Lion 

Food Lion supports disability awareness by providing job opportunities and a sense of belonging to associates living with a disability. William Kidwell joined Food Lion a little more than two years ago as a cashier, through the Center for Independent Living, which provides employment assistance for individuals with disabilities. William became a triple amputee following a motorcycle accident in 1995 and he spent four months in the hospital. William shares why he feels he belongs at Food Lion.  

“I’m part of the team. They count on me. When we need more people to work, I’m asked like everyone else. I run lane #7, the express lane. Customers know I’m going to be there. We focus on what I can do and that means a lot to me.”  

“I feel accepted by everyone at my store. One example of acceptance is that even though I run the express lane, some customers with a basket full of groceries just want to check out with me. They know me and I know them. They want that personal experience. Managers jump into help so we can just keep the lane moving. It’s great to feel that connection and support.”  

“At our store we love Shop & Earn. It feels great for me to teach customers about it. We show them how to use it on their phones and I can see their smiles when they see those savings. I love to help people like that.” 

“I love my job and it began with Food Lion giving me a chance. Lots of other people would have looked at me and focused on what I couldn’t do because of my disabilities. Food Lion believed in me and told me I could do it. Leaders told me I’d be good out front. That gave me the confidence I needed to show everyone what I could do. We really have a good team. I love it, I do. 

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has granted Food Lion early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976 which satisfies one of the conditions of closing the transaction of the purchase of these stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The 62 stores will be converted to Food Lion stores, as part of the brand's continued expansion in the southeast of the U.S., and Food Lion expects to hire more than 4,650 associates to serve customers at the stores.

This asset deal with Southeastern Grocers, which was announced on June 3, 2020, also includes the acquisition of an additional distribution center in Mauldin, S.C. Both acquisitions are currently expected to be completed during the first half of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed and Group financial guidance remains unchanged.

Cautionary notice

This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words such as to, will, continued, expect(s)/(ed) to, first half of 2021, subject to, conditions or remains, or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.
 
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the “Company”) to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company’s public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company’s management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Company’s management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., operates more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 77,000 associates. As part of the asset deal Food Lion expects to hire more than 4,650 associates to serve customers at the 62 acquired stores.

This asset deal with Southeastern Grocers also includes the acquisition of an additional distribution center in Mauldin, S.C. Both acquisitions are currently expected to close in the first half of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed and Group financial guidance remains unchanged.

Cautionary notice

This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words such as agreed to, continued, expected, by, first half of 2021, subject to, guidance, remains or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the “Company”) to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company’s public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company’s management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Company’s management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

“We care deeply about our neighbors, and that care shows up in many ways,” said Meg Ham, President of Food Lion. “It shows up when we keep our promises. [Food Lion Founder] Mr. Ketner promised to keep our prices low to enable local folks to put fresh food on their tables. While our stores look different today than they looked when we were founded, we have kept that promise to this day.”

To reinforce the announcement, on Wednesday of last week, Food Lion Feeds distributed more than 600 bags of food at a Charlotte, North Carolina, bus and train transit center. That night, just as the music to an outdoor summer concert series ended in Uptown Charlotte, all eyes were transfixed by a big and bold video projected onto a nearby skyscraper that told the story of Food Lion’s commitment to provide one billion more meals by 2025. Many of the over 200 people in the park videotaped the projection on their phones and talked about Food Lion’s commitment.

Food Lion Feeds will meet this commitment through new partnerships with No Kid Hungry, a campaign to end child hunger in the U.S., and Operation Homefront, to fight food-insecurity among U.S. service members and their families. Additionally, Food Lion Feeds will continue to grow its longstanding partnership with Feeding America®, and the 30 Feeding America local food banks. Food Lion Feeds is also introducing new opportunities to involve customers in the fight against hunger, through the launch of a new resource to encourage volunteerism in the towns and cities Food Lion serves.

Please click here to read the full press release, and click here to see the Food Lion Billion Meals Pledge video.