Troubled Dutch retailer Royal Ahold has reported an 11.3% decline in first-quarter sales due to a difficult trading environment and foreign currency effects.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The retailer reported consolidated sales for the first quarter to 20 April of €17.4bn (US$19.9bn), compared to €19.6bn in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by Reuters had been expecting sales of €18.9bn.
Ahold said sales excluding currency impact increased by 4.6% and organic sales growth excluding currency impact was 2.7%. Ahold’s sales results exclude sales of joint ventures and were unaudited.
In the US, Ahold’s retail sales rose 4.8% to US$8.3bn, while organic sales growth was also 4.8%. Comparable sales growth for the quarter was 2.4% and identical sales growth was 1.5%.
Sales at Ahold’s US foodservice operations slid 1.5% to $5.3bn.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIn Europe, Ahold’s sales rose 2.6% to €4.1bn. Organic sales growth, excluding currency impact was 2.7%.
In South America, where Ahold has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, sales were up 42.7% to €580m, mainly due to the acquisition of the remaining shares of Disco. Organic sales growth, excluding currency impact, was 12.1%.
In Asia, where Ahold has operations in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, sales were down 10.0% to €109m in the first quarter. Organic sales growth, excluding currency impact, was 7.6%.
