Ahold 4Q Sales Edged Up

Amsterdam, Netherlands Royal Ahold NV said Friday its overall fourth-quarter sales rose 0.2%, with the weakening dollar limiting growth. Net sales rose to $69.65 billion in the last three months of 2007.

At the company's Dutch Albert Heijn chain, sales rose 13% to $2.9 billion, due in part to acquisitions.

In the United States, sales rose 2% to $3.9 billion at its Stop & Shop chain and 8.6% to $1 billion at its Giant-Carlisle chain—the latter due partly to an acquisition.

Ahold is due to report full quarterly earnings on March 6.