The ban on cigarette sales in Dutch supermarkets cost Albert Heijn several percentage points of its sales. This amounts to hundreds of millions of euros.
Parent company Ahold Delhaize said this on Wednesday when publishing its annual figures.
From the middle of this year, supermarkets will no longer be allowed to sell smoking products. In the run-up to this ban, AH had already started this at the beginning of this year in its self-managed stores. This should be implemented in all supermarkets later this year. The chain will feel that in its wallet.
According to the company, it will save between 2 and 3 percentage points on its European store sales volume. Over the course of a whole year, this amount amounts to hundreds of millions of euros.
Parent company Ahold Delhaize did not have such a good end to 2023. Profit in the fourth quarter was 451 million euros, 40 percent lower than the previous year. This was mainly due to high costs. The turnover amounted to 23 billion euros, a fraction less than in the same period of 2022.
The company has seen significant growth in online grocery sales. This was 9 percent higher than the previous year. The significant growth was especially noticeable in Albert Heijn's online activities.
