<p><strong>Zaandam, the Netherlands </strong>– Ahold is planning for the future of its company in the food retail industry, beginning with a six pillar strategy designed to accelerate growth in the company's current and new markets. The first pillar in Ahold's line of attack seeks to increase customer loyalty and relatively increase identical sales growth, by developing new technologies that enhance the shopping experience, inside and outside of the store.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The second and third pillars are grounded in expansion. The second pillar promotes a number of new strategies including the company's hopes to increase their footprint within five years and triple online sales to €1.5 billion. Also, Ahold aspires to further develop its offering by working on the development and implementation of its successful store formats, and building a more impressive assortment of product with increased own-brand penetration. Pick-up points will be tested in the upcoming year that will allow consumers to order products online for in-store pickup. The third pillar was designed with the intention of increasing the company's geographic reach. Ahold plans to launch approximately 150 new convenience stores in Europe, with at least 50 supermarkets in Belgium within the next five years.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The fourth pillar is concentrates on "leveraging capabilities" rooted in the Ahold Retail Model with own-brand products, format development and the pursuit of customer loyalty. The fifth pillar strategizes responsible retailing and hopes to build on and move ahead its corporate responsibility duty to Ahold's customers and employees. The sixth pillar is all about people. The company aims to draw in and develop the best talent in the industry through diversity, skills and knowledge. Dick Boer, Ahold’s CEO, states, “Our new growth strategy will ensure Ahold remains successful and at the forefront of the food retail industry. We are reshaping our retail businesses to connect with our customers in a more personalized way and to provide an even better shopping experience in our stores and online</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>www.ahold.com</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
