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Belgium: Ahold and Delhaize receive merger approval from competition authority

By  |  March 16, 2016

Ahold and Delhaize Group today announced that they have received approval from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) for their intended merger, an important milestone in the process to completion.

The BCA’s approval is conditional upon the divestment of a limited number of stores in Belgium to address competition concerns raised by the regulator. These divestments will include 13 existing stores in total, and consist of 8 Albert Heijn stores and 5 Delhaize franchised stores. A limited number of future Ahold and Delhaize projects will also need to be divested. The divestment package does not include any integrated stores of Delhaize.

No stores will be closed as a result of these remedies. The current labor and working conditions of the associates will be respected according to Belgian labor regulations. The stores involved will have to be transferred to a buyer with the financial means and proven expertise to maintain them as viable and active competitors for Ahold Delhaize and other companies.

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