Ahold Delhaize petitions to add 'Royal' to its moniker post merger

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.”

Both Ahold and Delhaize share a deep pride in their heritage of family entrepreneurship and their roots, tracing back to the nineteenth century. Founded by Albert Heijn in the Netherlands in 1887, Ahold currently operates more than 3,200 stores and online food and general merchandise companies in Europe and the U.S.



The company first obtained the Royal predicate in 1987, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Albert Heijn banner.



Delhaize Group, founded in Belgium by the Delhaize brothers in 1867, today is a global food retailer with more than 3,500 stores in seven countries on three continents.



Ahold Delhaize will bring together a portfolio of more than 6,500 stores in the United States and Europe.



Ahold and Delhaize announced their intention to merge on June 24, 2015. The transaction is expected to be completed in mid-2016, following associate consultation procedures, shareholder approval and regulatory clearances.



Both companies will hold Extraordinary General Meetings of shareholders on March 14, 2016.