Empty shelves likely at Nederlands Albert Heijn due to "Cyber incident"

Ahold Delhaize suffered a major cybersecurity incident that has halted work in multiple Albert Heijn distribution centers and knocked out websites and systems across several of its chains, raising the likelihood of empty supermarket shelves, especially for fresh produce. Only the Zaandam distribution center is reportedly still operating; Albert Heijn has asked suppliers to deliver only there and to adhere to strict time slots to keep flows manageable. Online ordering platforms and loyalty programs for Albert Heijn, Gall&Gall and Etos are offline, with customers promised later compensation for missed discounts. Albert Heijn says frozen goods, bread and longer-shelf-life items are likely to remain more available than vegetables and fruit while IT systems are being restored.

The outage reportedly extends internationally to Delhaize in Belgium and five U.S. chains - Food Lion, Giant Food, Shop & Stop, Hannaford and The Giant Company - affecting over 2,000 stores in 23 states and hitting a region where a third of customers are digitally engaged. RTL and other sources indicate signs of criminal activity; Ahold Delhaize confirms network problems since Sunday and says infrastructure protection is a priority. The incident is expected to cause significant financial losses plus customer compensation, and shares fell about 3.15% to close at €31.38 as the company works to restart systems.