Notes to the parent company financial statements
144
1 Significant accounting policies
Basis of preparation
Investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates
2 Employees
3 Auditor fees
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Ahold at a glance
Business review
Governance
Financials
Ahold
Annual Report 2015
The parent company financial statements of Ahold have been prepared in accordance with Part 9, Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code. In accordance with subsection 8 of section 362, Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code, the
recognition and measurement principles applied in these parent company financial statements are the same as those applied in the consolidated financial statements (see Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements).
Investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates are accounted for using the accounting policies as described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements.
The average number of employees of Koninklijke Ahold N.V. in full-time equivalents during 2015 was seven (2014: 169), of whom none were employed outside the Netherlands. During 2015, substantially all employees of
Koninklijke Ahold N.V. were transferred to a subsidiary. The current employees of Koninklijke Ahold N.V. consist primarily of members of the Executive Committee including the Management Board. Salaries, social security
charges and pension expenses amounted to €17 million, €6 million and €0.3 million, respectively, for 2015 (2014: expenses of €40 million, €2 million and €5 million income, respectively).
For information on the parent company's defined benefit pension plan, the remuneration of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board and the parent company's share-based compensation plans,
see Notes 23, 31 and 32respectively, to the consolidated financial statements.
The net pension liability and the net pension expense are calculated on the basis of the parent company's active employees only.
Expenses for services provided by the parent company's independent auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. ("PwC") and its member firms and or affiliates to Ahold and its subsidiaries in 2015 and in 2014,
are specified as follows:
thousand
PwC
Member
firms
affiliates
Total 2015
PwC
Member
firms
affiliates
Total 2014
Audit fees
2,120
2,422
4,542
2,221
1,951
4,172
Audit-related fees
5,549
1,537
7,086
225
225
Tax advisory fees
5
5
106
118
224
Total7,6693,96411,6332,5522,0694,621
The audit fees listed above relate to the procedures applied to the Company and its consolidated group entities by accounting firms and external auditors as referred to in Section 1, subsection 1 of the Audit Firms Supervision
Act ("Wet toezicht accountantsorganisaties - Wta") as well as by Dutch and foreign-based accounting firms, including their tax services and advisory groups. These audit fees relate to the audit of the financial statements,
regardless of whether the work was performed during the financial year.
The audit-related fees mainly relate to assurance services provided by PwC in connection with the planned merger with Delhaize.
