<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Amsterdam, The Netherlands</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.28.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Ahold announced today that it has successfully completed the $3.1 billion sale of its 60% stake in Scandinavian retailer ICA to Hakon Invest of Sweden.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">This follows Ahold's agreement with Hakon Invest regarding the sale of Ahold's holding in ICA as announced on February 11, 2013.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Hakon now owns the entirety of the 2,215 store chain, Sweden’s largest retailer.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Other reports indicate that Ahold has been eyeing Matthews, North Carolina-based Harris Teeter Supermarkets. The chain operates 211 stores, predominantly in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina, which would help Ahold expand in mid-Atlantic and Southeast states where population growth trends are more favorable than in the Northeast, according to Bloomberg.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Ahold is now well equipped to make a sizable transaction, but was not available for immediate comment.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" https://www.ahold.com/ "target="_new">Ahold</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
