Contributing to society is
at the heart of Ah old's culture
The human face of food retail
At corporate level and at operating
companies and joint venture operations
alike, Ahold demonstrated its commitment
to social responsibility and corporate
citizenship in 1999. Contributing to society
is not a matter of words. It is an integral
component of Ahold's corporate culture,
supported by real action that reflects a
concern for business beyond the bottom
line. This includes giving to charities and,
more importantly, donating management
expertise and associates' time and effort.
Ahold supports various organizations
engaged in three primary causes: hunger,
children and healthcare. In addition, social
issues directly related to core business
such as food safety and nutritional
advice, equal employment opportunities,
diversity initiatives, environmental care
and inner-city revitalization are all
integrated into Ahold's business strategy.
The company is particularly proud of its
contribution to cancer research, both at
corporate and subsidiary level.
Food collection programs
Ahold and Ahold-associated companies
around the world donate food and money
to local care organizations, food banks or
collection programs for the needy. Ahold
executives sit on the boards of both local
and national food banks, providing
managerial expertise and direction and
ensuring their companies and the industry
as a whole remain deeply involved in
fighting hunger. In the US, Stop Shop
donated USD 12 million in products,
cash and services towards the fight
against hunger in 1999. The major
recipients were America's Second
Harvest and its local area food banks.
Second Harvest named Giant-Landover's
representative National Food Bank Board
Member of the Year, reflecting Giant's
20-year involvement with the organization
and its ongoing provision of perishable
foods through local service agencies to
the area's hungry.
Ahold companies regularly donate food
to international organizations helping
people who face hardship due to internal
conflict or natural disaster. When
Hurricane Floyd devastated huge areas
of the Carolinas in September, BI-LO
teamed up with the American Red Cross
and set up donation programs, developed
survival kits and produced information
on how to handle frozen food during
power failures.
Supporting charitable organizations
Ahold companies in the US, Europe,
Latin America and Asia make a major
contribution to cancer research each
year. Many store chains make donations
to local hospitals treating young patients.
Giant-Landover has spearheaded food
industry efforts in the US to support the
Children's Cancer Foundation for the
past 16 years, helping to raise funds for
cancer research through annual vendor-
supported fundraisers and other events.
Stop Shop has a 10-year association
with the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute's Stop Shop Family
Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinic and has
raised in excess of USD 10 million with
the help of suppliers and customers.
Tops stores bond with their local com
munities by supporting several charitable
organizations, such as Juvenile Diabetes,
for which they have raised over USD 1.5
million in the past six years. In the north
east Ohio area, Tops has supported several
city-wide charitable community initiatives,
committing over USD 1 million. The
proceeds of the annual BI-LO Pro/Am
Charity Classic golf tournament, so far
USD 7 million, are used to support local
charity activities. Recognized as one of
the nation's largest golfing events, it
raised over USD 2 million in 1999 to
support Meals on Wheels organizations as
well as literally hundreds of other charities
in the trade area. Giant-Carlisle's annual
'Our Kids' golfing event raised a record
USD 1.2 million in 1999, donated to
eight children's charities, its annual food
drive was held for the fifth year in succes
sion in the Giant and Martin's divisions
and included Edwards for the first time.
Safety and other consumer issues
Ahold is committed to being market
leader in food safety. This means gaining
and maintaining consumer confidence.
Worldwide, customers can depend on
Ahold companies for the best available
food shopping conditions in clean,
hygienic stores offering products subject
to stringent quality standards in both its
mature and growth markets. In recent
years, an increase in consumer concern
about food has brought both opportunities
Royal Ahold Annual Report 1999
