Ahold Delhaize

Ahold USA first quarter sales were up 4% to $8.2 billion. Excluding gas, sales increased 4.1% at constant exchange rates. The addition of 25 A&P stores in the New York Metro market in fourth quarter 2015 was the main contributor to the overall sales growth and resulted in an overall market share improvement in both dollars and volume, Ahold reported.

Ahold USA first quarter sales were up 4% to $8.2 billion. Excluding gas, sales increased 4.1% at constant exchange rates. The addition of 25 A&P stores in the New York Metro market in fourth quarter 2015 was the main contributor to the overall sales growth and resulted in an overall market share improvement in both dollars and volume, Ahold reported.

Online retailer—and would-be rival to Amazon— Jet.com is continuing to spread its wings. The retailer is testing a home delivery service for fresh groceries in certain markets in the metro areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. According to an email sent to some customers, produce delivery will take one to two days, with no fee for orders of $35 or more.

There are going to be a lot of happy chickens roaming free in the coming years as retailer after retailer establish dates by which they will offer only cage-free eggs.

Meijer and Supervalu recently announced plans to source only cage-free eggs by 2025, joining Delhaize and Albertson’s who earlier this year set 2025 as their cage-free deadline. Ahold USA earlier this year also indicated it would be cage-free by 2022. Walmart and Costco have also announced cage-free commitments as have some major food suppliers such as Nestle.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that the 19 Martin’s Food Markets stores in the area will be either sold or closed as the completion of parent company Ahold’s merger with Delhaize Group. The Richmond-area stores are just some of the 83 stores the combined companies are looking to unload across the eastern and northeastern U.S. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Online delivery service Instacart may be deepening its relationship with organic grocer Whole Foods, but is still keeping its options open.

Instacart is now delivering goods from Landover, Maryland-based supermarket chain Giant Food to Washington, D.C., residents. Responding to customer requests, Giant is now offering home delivery via Instacart in as little as an hour to customers throughout Washington, D.C.

Ahold shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the company`s proposal to merge with Delhaize Group.

Ahold is buying Delhaize for $11 billion in a deal announced last year that will create one of the largest food retailers on the U.S. East Coast, as Ahold operates Stop & Shop and Delhaize operates Hannaford and Food Lion.

Ahold on Monday announced that the King of the Netherlands has honored its request to use the predicate “Koninklijke” (“Royal”) after its intended merger with Delhaize Group.

Upon completion of the proposed merger, the statutory name of the combined company will be “Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V.”