International expansion
The fall of communism in central Europe during the 1990s made way for Royal Ahold’s expansion with additional acquisitions in the U.S. and Spain, while Ahold partners are active around the globe.
Mana (now known as Albert) was Ahold’s first wholly-owned supermarket chain in what was Czechoslovakia. It opened during 1991 and seven years later Ahold opened the first Hypernova hypermarket in Prague, the Czech Republic. The first Polish hypermarket, Allkauf, was opened in 1997.
During the decade, a number of significant acquisitions increased Ahold’s presence in the U.S. market (Top Markets and Mayfair in NY, Red Food Store, Stop & Stop and Giant Food Inc). The company also bought 150 supermarkets in Spain.
Expansion into the Scandinavian market came about through a partnership with ICA Group, the region’s leading food retailer.
Ahold and its Portuguese partner formed Jeronimo Martins Retail (JMR), while other local partners developed food retail activities with Ahold in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Spain and Poland.
In South America, Vela Retail Holdings and Ahold formed a partnership to acquire a majority stake in the Argentinean supermarket chain Disco, and Santa Isabel which trades in Chile, Peru and Paraguay.
La Fragua, Central America's leading food retailer, joined forces with Ahold in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
The growing global nature of the company was reflected as Royal Ahold stock traded for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), as well as listing in Amsterdam, Zurich and Brussels.
Operations
Royal Ahold showed its desire for its different operations to benefit from being part of a larger group by setting up a European Competence Center. This was created to share knowledge, best practice and maximize synergies across different platforms. An example of best practice was the new distribution system introduced by Albert Heijn in 1995 and guaranteeing store delivery within 18 hours.