Ahold Delhaize USA Hosts First-Ever Supplier Summit to Accelerate Partnerships and Growth
Company's Brands Donate 500,000 Meals to Local Communities as Part of Inaugural Event
SALISBURY, N.C. – Grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA recently convened nearly 400 leaders from across its companies – including leading East Coast brands Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company and Stop & Shop – and representatives from top supplier partners, May 19-20 in Charlotte, N.C., for its first-ever Supplier Summit. The event underscored the companies' focus on driving shared growth, winning with omnichannel customers and delivering local impact at scale.
The two‑day event brought together Ahold Delhaize USA executive leadership alongside chief merchants and chief marketing leaders from each of the company's five local brands, who reinforced the importance of delivering local relevance, while maximizing the opportunities of scale. Designed as a forum for connection and dialogue, the summit focused on growing partnerships for both today and tomorrow.
"Suppliers play a critical role in helping our brands deliver value and great customer experiences every day," said Keith Nicks, Chief Commercial and Digital Officer for Ahold Delhaize USA. "By coming together in this way, we were able to create a dialogue on the approaches and mindset needed to partner effectively so that, together, we can unlock what's next for our businesses and for customers."
Focused on Growth and Collaboration
Sessions throughout the summit explored key themes central to Ahold Delhaize USA and its brands' strategies and long‑term growth plans, with a focus on strengthening partnerships to better serve customers. Key topics included:
- Retail Media and agentic commerce, highlighting opportunities to connect brands and shoppers across digital and in‑store touchpoints through AD Retail Media's proprietary edge platform and beyond.
- Health and sustainability, including collaboration opportunities between suppliers and retailers to build resilience across the value chain.
During the deep dive on retail media, Ahold Delhaize USA showcased the continued evolution of AD Retail Media and its customer-first approach to helping brands connect meaningfully with shoppers. The discussions underscored how Easy Activation Wherever enables more personalized, relevant experiences across the omnichannel journey. Insights shared also help suppliers better understand customer engagement and inform growth strategies. The session reinforced how a more customer-centric approach can unlock shared value for suppliers while delivering greater relevance for shoppers across digital and in-store touchpoints.
As part of the sustainability discussions, Ahold Delhaize USA highlighted progress on initiatives supporting more nutritious choices and supply‑chain transparency, including the introduction of a new product carbon footprint tool (PCF) to be adopted across the Ahold Delhaize global brand portfolio to strengthen collaboration with suppliers. The company also recognized the 20th anniversary of Guiding Stars, its science‑based nutrition guidance program helping its brands' more than 26 million weekly omnichannel customers make informed choices when shopping in-stores or online with its brands.
Supporting Local Communities
Reflecting Ahold Delhaize USA companies' commitment to local communities, the summit reinforced the company's passion for reducing and one day eliminating hunger. Through a directed donation to Feeding America tied to a supplier‑supported evening event, Ahold Delhaize USA contributed the equivalent of 500,000 meals to support the local communities served every day by Ahold Delhaize USA brands.
"This donation showcases what we can accomplish together when we align around shared values," Nicks added. "Our suppliers are not only essential partners in our businesses; they help us extend our impact where it matters most, whether on a shelf or in a local community."
The Supplier Summit marks another step in Ahold Delhaize USA's commercial strategy, enhancing engagement with supplier partners to drive shared growth and deliver local impact.
About Ahold Delhaize USA
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of international food retailer Ahold Delhaize, is part of the U.S. family of brands, which also includes five leading omnichannel grocery brands: Food Lion, The GIANT Company, Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. When considered together, the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA comprise the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast and the fourth largest in the nation, serving 26 million omnichannel customers each week. Ahold Delhaize USA was recently recognized as a Top Employer in the U.S. by the Top Employers Institute for the second consecutive year, underscoring the company's commitment to cultivating an exceptional, people centered workplace. For more information, visit www.adusa.com.
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