Supermarket group Ahold has increased its market share in both the Dutch and US markets, according to the company’s first quarter earnings report.

Ahold booked a 1% increase in turnover over the first three months of the year, with sales reaching €8.7bn. The company books 60% of sales in the US. In the Netherlands, where Ahold operates the Albert Heijn market leader, sales rose 3.7% to €3.1bn.
Net profit rose nearly 46% to €274m due to changes Ahold has made in the provision for losses on two former American investments. Operating profit rose 3.3% to €409m.
“Our repositioning actions in recent years and our customer focus have enabled us to increase volumes and improve market share in the Netherlands and the United States and deliver another quarter of solid performance,’ CEO John Rishton said in a statement.
‘The market continues to be challenging with customers focused on value and high levels of promotional activity.’
According to the Financial Times, Ahold continues to work on plans to enter the Belgian market.
Rishton declined to give a time-frame but said Ahold was looking into real estate, permits and franchise partners, the paper said. ‘ We are going to move into Belgium, it’s just a question of how long it takes us to get there,’ he told the FT.