Dutch retail giant Ahold Delhaize has filed a formal police report after discovering suspicious activity in its IT infrastructure, raising concerns about a cyber incident's impact on supermarket operations across Europe and the United States.
The company said its investigation confirmed that the activity resulted from malicious actions by unidentified parties. It had taken several IT systems, websites, and apps offline as a precaution after detecting the issue on October 12, 2026. The company has not publicly identified those responsible.
Ahold Delhaize operates supermarket brands including Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, Delhaize in Belgium, and Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Giant Food and Hannaford in the US. Although its stores have remained open, the incident has disrupted online services and affected parts of its distribution operations.
The incident has affected several digital services operated by the retailer's brands. Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' largest supermarket chain, restored its website and app, but home deliveries were expected to resume only from October 23.
The company's US retail brands were also working to restore their e-commerce services, with operations expected to return in the coming days. In Belgium, online shopping services had resumed, while websites and apps across Ahold Delhaize's Central and Southeastern Europe region were available again.
Despite these disruptions, all stores across the company's brands have remained open. However, distribution system issues have made it difficult to supply products to some locations.
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Ahold Delhaize said it had notified the Dutch National Cyber Security Center within 24 hours of discovering the suspicious activity. It has also been cooperating with law enforcement and other relevant authorities.
The company said its investigation had not found evidence that sensitive customer, employee, or partner data had been taken. However, the investigation remains ongoing, and the retailer has declined to share further technical details that could compromise its security measures.
The incident also occurred around the same time as a cyberattack in France that affected refrigeration equipment at hundreds of stores. However, the Dutch National Cyber Security Center said there was no reason to believe the incidents were directly connected.