Ahold Fulfills Plan to Exit Brazil

Amsterdam, In a move that would complete Royal Ahold’s exit from Brazil, Dutch retailer Royal Ahold agreed to sell G. Barbosa Comercial, its Brazilian retail chain, to a division of U.S.-based company ACON Investments for 90 million euros ($122.4 million). The deal should close in the first quarter of 2005. G. Barbosa is a food retailer with 32 hypermarkets and supermarkets. Its areas of strength are the states of Sergipe and Bahia in northeast Brazil.