9
Our portfolio
Growth strategy
Our strategy continued
Ahold
Annual Report 2010
Group at a glance
Performance
Governance
Fi nancials
Investors
We have built powerful consumer brands in each of our markets that provide value, an appealing
offering of products and services, and a great shopping experience for our customers. We
continue to find new ways to increase existing customer loyalty, win new customers, and further
drive identical sales growth.
We allocate capital to improve our infrastructure, IT systems, and store formats, and for
acquisitions in existing and new markets.
Our Group-wide strategy remains focused on five areas: our portfolio, growth, our organization,
financial targets, and corporate responsibility.
We operate retail businesses in Europe and the United States in markets where we have clear
prospects for sustainable profitable growth. We are, or aim to be, number one or two in each
market.
We continue to grow in both our existing markets and new ones. In 2010, we made the following
acquisitions in the United States. In February, Giant Carlisle successfully completed the
acquisition of 25 stores in Richmond, Virginia, from Ukrop's Super Markets. In April, Stop Shop
acquired five former Shaw's stores in Connecticut, a move that further strengthens our market-
leading position there. In November, Giant Carlisle announced the acquisition of two former
Genuardi's stores in Pennsylvania.
Our strategy is to achieve sustainable profitable growth and grow our operations in existing and
new markets. We are also working to expand in areas such as non-food, e-commerce, and other
services. We have repositioned each of our local brands by improving the price, quality, and
service we provide our customers.
Our strategy is aligned across Ahold and tailored to our local markets. We adapt the strategy to
changing market developments and our insight into what our customers want.
We build our competitive advantage by understanding our customers better than the competition.
This enables us to see changing patterns in consumer trends and behavior and develop targeted
strategies in response.
