Dutch market leader Ahold is biding its time before making any acquisitions, its chief executive Dick Boer has admitted in an interview with NRC Handelsblad earlier in the week. Boer said that while Royal Ahold NV has the financial means to grow via acquisitions, the company is waiting for the right opportunity.
Any acquisition targets need to meet several criteria, Boer explained: they need to be easy to integrate into the Ahold structure, fit in with Ahold's aspirations to be 'first or second' in each of its markets, and must be affordable.
Boer also said that politicians should do more to acknowledge the importance of the retail industry during times of recession, saying: "it's very annoying that retail is so undervalued by politicians [...] We employ hundreds of thousands of people. During the crisis, we all keep working."
Boer also paid tribute to Jaap Blokker, chairman of Blokker Holding BV until last year, who died last week. Blokker runs a number of retail chains such as Blokker, Bart Smit, Intertoys and Xenos. He was 69. (14 July)
© 2011 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
