<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Quincy, MA-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">2.28.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><video width="500" controls><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> <source src="https://www.ahold.com/media/videos/corporate/QR-2012/Q4FY_2012.mp4" type="video/mp4"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"></source></video></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Highlights for the fourth quarter include a sales increase of 5.1% to over $10.2 billion. Underlying operating income increased by 4.1% to over $464.5 million, and underlying operating margin grew by 4.5%. However, operating income fell 52.4% to just over $202 million.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">For the full year, net income decreased from over $1.3 billion in 2011 to roughly $1.1 billion, while free cash flow increased by almost $292 million to over $1.5 billion. Dividends rose 10% to $.57 per share. <img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/ahold-cropped-feb-2013.jpg" alt="AHOLD- Dick BOer - Image" />CEO Dick Boer said: “Our businesses continued to perform well in the fourth quarter. We grew sales and gained market share in all our markets. Underlying operating income increased, excluding €199 million of impairments and non-recurring items related to pensions and restructuring charges.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“In 2012 we began to reap the benefits of the Reshaping Retail strategy, actively leveraging changing consumer needs and pursuing growth opportunities, in both existing and new markets. We delivered another year of solid financial performance. At constant exchange rates, net sales grew 3.5% and our underlying operating margin was 4.3% in spite of the challenging market conditions. Free cash flow was at a record of €1.2 billion, reflecting our strong cash generating capacity. We are pleased with our market share gains in an ongoing intensely competitive environment in all our major markets.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="https://www.ahold.com/#!/Media/Q4-Full-Year-2012-Results.htm" target="_new">Ahold Financial Update</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
