Supermarket group Ahold booked sales of €6.8bn in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 3.4% on the year-earlier period.

At constant exchange rates, sales were up 11%. Ahold books some 60% of turnover in the US.
Over 2009 as a whole, sales were up 8.9% at €27.9bn. At constant exchange rates, net sales for the full year were up 6.0%, Ahold said in a statement.
‘Ahold delivered strong volume growth in all markets in the fourth quarter,’ the statement said. ‘Sales were impacted by deflation and trading down by customers while increased promotional activity continued.’