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Netherlands-based supermarket group Ahold has reported its results for Q4 2013, revealing a decline for the quarter compared to the same period of the previous year.
Total US sales for the quarter were 2.1% down at $6billion, and the retailer also saw its market share fall back slightly. Ahold USA attributed the sales decline to food price disinflation and to the effects of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when the retailer was able to re-open stores more quickly than some of its competitors and received a sales boost as a result.
The results were “disappointing”, according to an industry analyst quoted by Supermarket News. “Today’s ID sales decline reinforced our belief that Ahold’s US pricing is not competitive (as evidenced by our and third-party price surveys) and that Ahold will be required to narrow the gap,” the analyst continued.
Ahold operates around 770 supermarkets across the US under the names Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant Food Stores, Martin’s Food Markets, and Peapod.
Source: Supermarket News / Ahold
