Latest news with #Ahold
Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Wary of sticker shock, retailers clash with brands on price hikes
"We all should be very well aware of consumer budgets," Frans Muller, CEO of supermarket company Ahold Delhaize, which owns US chains Food Lion, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, told Reuters on Wednesday. He said conversations with consumer goods companies over pricing were "tight," adding that the industry's focus was on increasing sales volumes rather than increasing revenue by hiking prices. "That is the wrong way of supporting customers and the wrong way of growing the business itself." Ahold has in-house teams that track commodity, energy, and labour costs, and own-brand products it can compare with to establish whether price increases demanded by consumer brands are justified or not, Muller said. On the other side of the equation are the brands, facing higher costs that are squeezing margins. Beiersdorf CEO Vincent Warnery said on Wednesday that retailers in key markets, including Germany and France, had pushed back strongly in price talks last quarter, not only refusing price increases but asking for price reductions, and pulling products from shelves. Beiersdorf eventually agreed to a 2.6% rise, Warnery said, but delistings of some products by retailers knocked two percentage points off its sales growth in Europe in the second quarter. "There will be a lot of price changes pushed forward by consumer brands, some will be accepted by retailers and some will not," said Bobby Gibbs, a Dallas-based partner at Oliver Wyman who advises retailers and consumer goods firms. Manufacturers will find it easier to push higher prices through on products where there is brand loyalty and fewer strong private label alternatives, Gibbs said. Reuters' global tariff tracker shows at least 102 out of nearly 300 companies monitored by the tracker have announced price hikes in response to the trade war, with about 41 of them in the consumer sector. As well as tariffs, other factors like the cost of capital and labour, and commodity prices in the case of coffee and chocolate, are pushing prices up on certain products, Gibbs said. Trump has said the tariffs counter persistent US trade imbalances and declining U.S. manufacturing power, and that the moves will bring jobs and investment to the nation. More price hikes are planned, particularly in the US. Procter & Gamble last week said it was raising prices on about a quarter of its products in the US by a mid-single-digit percentage as part of efforts to mitigate the cost of higher tariffs on imported goods. That will affect pricing at Walmart, Target, and other stores. As talks heat up, more retailers could pull branded products temporarily as a negotiating tactic, as Ahold's Albert Heijn chain did this year in a dispute over price hikes by coffee roaster JDE Peet's. "Many retailers are getting more sophisticated in how they can measure product switching ... so they're willing to be bolder on delistings because they're able to protect sales and margin more than they would have in the past," said Gibbs. In Europe, retailers are joining forces to increase their clout in pricing talks. Carrefour said last month it had created a new European buying alliance called Concordis, along with rival group Coopérative U, and is in advanced discussions with other European retailers to expand the alliance. Supermarkets are developing more own-brand alternatives to big-name brands. Ahold has introduced 300 new own-brand products this year in its US chains, and sales growth in those has outpaced the rest of the store, it said. Big brands have taken note, with P&G 's Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten saying last week that retailers have been implementing "more aggressive pricing" on own-brand products. "We see some level of pressure to drive trade down because of price promotional behaviour," he said, referring to consumers swapping to lower-priced products, adding the market would remain "volatile and challenging".
Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Wary of sticker shock, retailers clash with brands on price hikes
"We all should be very well aware of consumer budgets," Frans Muller, CEO of supermarket company Ahold Delhaize, which owns US chains Food Lion, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, told Reuters on Wednesday. He said conversations with consumer goods companies over pricing were "tight," adding that the industry's focus was on increasing sales volumes rather than increasing revenue by hiking prices. "That is the wrong way of supporting customers and the wrong way of growing the business itself." Ahold has in-house teams that track commodity, energy, and labour costs, and own-brand products it can compare with to establish whether price increases demanded by consumer brands are justified or not, Muller said. On the other side of the equation are the brands, facing higher costs that are squeezing margins. Beiersdorf CEO Vincent Warnery said on Wednesday that retailers in key markets, including Germany and France, had pushed back strongly in price talks last quarter, not only refusing price increases but asking for price reductions, and pulling products from shelves. Beiersdorf eventually agreed to a 2.6% rise, Warnery said, but delistings of some products by retailers knocked two percentage points off its sales growth in Europe in the second quarter. "There will be a lot of price changes pushed forward by consumer brands, some will be accepted by retailers and some will not," said Bobby Gibbs, a Dallas-based partner at Oliver Wyman who advises retailers and consumer goods firms. Manufacturers will find it easier to push higher prices through on products where there is brand loyalty and fewer strong private label alternatives, Gibbs said. Reuters' global tariff tracker shows at least 102 out of nearly 300 companies monitored by the tracker have announced price hikes in response to the trade war, with about 41 of them in the consumer sector. As well as tariffs, other factors like the cost of capital and labour, and commodity prices in the case of coffee and chocolate, are pushing prices up on certain products, Gibbs said. Trump has said the tariffs counter persistent US trade imbalances and declining U.S. manufacturing power, and that the moves will bring jobs and investment to the nation. More price hikes are planned, particularly in the US. Procter & Gamble last week said it was raising prices on about a quarter of its products in the US by a mid-single-digit percentage as part of efforts to mitigate the cost of higher tariffs on imported goods. That will affect pricing at Walmart, Target, and other stores. As talks heat up, more retailers could pull branded products temporarily as a negotiating tactic, as Ahold's Albert Heijn chain did this year in a dispute over price hikes by coffee roaster JDE Peet's. "Many retailers are getting more sophisticated in how they can measure product switching ... so they're willing to be bolder on delistings because they're able to protect sales and margin more than they would have in the past," said Gibbs. In Europe, retailers are joining forces to increase their clout in pricing talks. Carrefour said last month it had created a new European buying alliance called Concordis, along with rival group Coopérative U, and is in advanced discussions with other European retailers to expand the alliance. Supermarkets are developing more own-brand alternatives to big-name brands. Ahold has introduced 300 new own-brand products this year in its US chains, and sales growth in those has outpaced the rest of the store, it said. Big brands have taken note, with P&G 's Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten saying last week that retailers have been implementing "more aggressive pricing" on own-brand products. "We see some level of pressure to drive trade down because of price promotional behaviour," he said, referring to consumers swapping to lower-priced products, adding the market would remain "volatile and challenging".
Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Wary of sticker shock, retailers clash with brands on price hikes
"We all should be very well aware of consumer budgets," Frans Muller, CEO of supermarket company Ahold Delhaize, which owns US chains Food Lion, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, told Reuters on Wednesday. He said conversations with consumer goods companies over pricing were "tight," adding that the industry's focus was on increasing sales volumes rather than increasing revenue by hiking prices. "That is the wrong way of supporting customers and the wrong way of growing the business itself." Ahold has in-house teams that track commodity, energy, and labour costs, and own-brand products it can compare with to establish whether price increases demanded by consumer brands are justified or not, Muller said. On the other side of the equation are the brands, facing higher costs that are squeezing margins. Beiersdorf CEO Vincent Warnery said on Wednesday that retailers in key markets, including Germany and France, had pushed back strongly in price talks last quarter, not only refusing price increases but asking for price reductions, and pulling products from shelves. Beiersdorf eventually agreed to a 2.6% rise, Warnery said, but delistings of some products by retailers knocked two percentage points off its sales growth in Europe in the second quarter. "There will be a lot of price changes pushed forward by consumer brands, some will be accepted by retailers and some will not," said Bobby Gibbs, a Dallas-based partner at Oliver Wyman who advises retailers and consumer goods firms. Manufacturers will find it easier to push higher prices through on products where there is brand loyalty and fewer strong private label alternatives, Gibbs said. Reuters' global tariff tracker shows at least 102 out of nearly 300 companies monitored by the tracker have announced price hikes in response to the trade war, with about 41 of them in the consumer sector. As well as tariffs, other factors like the cost of capital and labour, and commodity prices in the case of coffee and chocolate, are pushing prices up on certain products, Gibbs said. Trump has said the tariffs counter persistent US trade imbalances and declining U.S. manufacturing power, and that the moves will bring jobs and investment to the nation. More price hikes are planned, particularly in the US. Procter & Gamble last week said it was raising prices on about a quarter of its products in the US by a mid-single-digit percentage as part of efforts to mitigate the cost of higher tariffs on imported goods. That will affect pricing at Walmart, Target, and other stores. As talks heat up, more retailers could pull branded products temporarily as a negotiating tactic, as Ahold's Albert Heijn chain did this year in a dispute over price hikes by coffee roaster JDE Peet's. "Many retailers are getting more sophisticated in how they can measure product switching ... so they're willing to be bolder on delistings because they're able to protect sales and margin more than they would have in the past," said Gibbs. In Europe, retailers are joining forces to increase their clout in pricing talks. Carrefour said last month it had created a new European buying alliance called Concordis, along with rival group Coopérative U, and is in advanced discussions with other European retailers to expand the alliance. Supermarkets are developing more own-brand alternatives to big-name brands. Ahold has introduced 300 new own-brand products this year in its US chains, and sales growth in those has outpaced the rest of the store, it said. Big brands have taken note, with P&G 's Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten saying last week that retailers have been implementing "more aggressive pricing" on own-brand products. "We see some level of pressure to drive trade down because of price promotional behaviour," he said, referring to consumers swapping to lower-priced products, adding the market would remain "volatile and challenging".
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Ahold, Veolia Environment and Japan Airlines
Chicago, IL – July 8, 2025 – announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Ahold ADRNY, Veolia Environment VEOEY and Japan Airlines JAPSY. What is going on in the Global Week Ahead? Investors await U.S. President Donald Trump's July 9th deadline for trade partners to strike deals on tariffs with a degree of equanimity. What happens beyond that has the power to stir up more volatility and uncertainty. The macro data docket for the coming week is light, leaving the focus squarely on tariffs. So far, the U.S. administration has a limited deal with Britain and an in-principle agreement with Vietnam. Two down. Just roughly 180 to go, including the penguin-populated Heard Island. Next are Reuters' five world market themes, re-ordered for equity traders— (1) By July 9th, will there be new U.S. trade deals, with other countries? Or not? With just days to go until the deadline, investors are on edge to see if the United States forges any agreements with trading partners as they seek to avoid higher levies. Investors have circled this date for months. Trump paused many of the harshest U.S. tariffs for 90 days after his April 2 "Liberation Day" announcement roiled global markets. The coming days could bring a number of scenarios. Some investors have speculated about more delays to allow for talks to continue, but Trump has said he is not thinking of extending the deadline. He even suggested he could impose a tariff of 30% or 35% on imports from Japan - well above the 24% rate he announced in April. (2) A strong 2025 rally, in major Euro Area stocks, is in focus. 2025 was meant to be European markets' year, as erratic U.S. policymaking and a once-in-a-generation fiscal shift in Germany prompted investors to shift their money into Europe. That's still the case for the euro, but in equities-land, Wall Street is catching up fast. The STOXX 600 benchmark is up +6.9% in 2025, just one percentage point above the S&P 500, a narrowing from around a 10-percentage point gap in March. A storming few months for Big Tech — where Europe cannot compete — is driving much of U.S. performance. Poster child Nvidia (NVDA) hit a market value of $3.92 trillion on Thursday. U.S.-friendly, or Europe-unfriendly, tariff developments in the coming days could see Wall Street overtake Europe on a year-to-date basis. Barring one day in April's tariff sell-off, that's not happened since early January. (3) A crypto stablecoin bill move towards U.S. Congressional passage. With the "One Big Beautiful Bill" done, House Republicans will start working on getting the Senate's landmark stablecoin legislation — known as the GENIUS Act — passed and on to Trump's desk. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value. The act could see stablecoins explode from being worth around $250 billion now, to anywhere between $500 billion and $2 trillion in the next few years, depending on who you ask, but it is getting plenty of central bankers — and China — hot under the collar. One fear, especially in emerging markets, is it will trigger the "dollarization" of their economies, whereas many in the industrialized world warn stablecoins give too much control over money to private firms that experience shows can become very unstable very quickly. (4) A U.S. trade deal with Japan? Stuck in limbo. It may be a sign you're not "winning" in trade talks with the Trump administration when you start attracting verbal broadsides like "spoiled" and 'recalcitrant.' That's the position of Japan, facing the July 9th deadline before hefty tariffs take effect on its export-dependent economy. Trump hinted at a "potential" deal in late April, but after multiple rounds of talks, none has emerged. He said last week he could set a tariff of "30% or 35% or whatever" on Japanese imports, far higher than the rate he announced on April 2nd. Cars and rice are sticking points. Japan has vowed not to "sacrifice" its critical agriculture sector. And with autos being Japan's biggest employer and export to the U.S., at nearly 30% of the total, Tokyo may feel it has no choice but to fight for a better deal. (5) U.K. fiscal managers face a possible U.K. bond crisis. British bondholders are no strangers to crisis. The British government's decision to scale back an unpopular reform of the welfare system, thereby blowing a 5-billion-pound hole in its budget plans and the visible upset of Finance Minister Rachel Reeves in parliament was all traders needed to unleash a blast of selling that revived memories of 2022. Benchmark 10-year gilt yields shot up 21 basis points at one point and sterling fell as investors fretted Reeves' job might be on the line, but reversed course after Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly backed her. Reeves is running out of wiggle-room and may be forced into tax hikes later this year. British consumers are already under pressure. The coming week's data on house prices, car sales and economic growth may show more of those cracks. Let's take a look at Zacks large-cap Value stocks this week. The following are #1 Rank short-term picks, with long-term Zacks Value scores of A. (1) Ahold: This is a $42 a share stock with a market cap of $38.2B. It is found in the Consumer Products-Staples industry. I see a Zacks Value score of A, a Zacks Growth score of B, and a Zacks Momentum score of B. Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. provides retail stores which offer food and non-food products primarily in the United States and Europe. The company operates supermarkets, convenience stores, compact hypers, pick-up points and gasoline stations as well as specialty stores. Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., formerly known as Ahold N.V., is based in Zaandam, Netherlands. (2) Veolia Environment: This is a $18 a share stock with a market cap of $26.1B. It is found in the Utility-Water Supply industry. I see a Zacks Value score of A, a Zacks Growth score of F, and a Zacks Momentum score of D. Veolia Environnement is the only global company to offer the entire range of environmental services in the water, waste management, energy and transportation sectors. Veolia has been creating global and integrated solutions for public and private sector clients over the world. The quality of its research, the expertise and synergies developed between its teams, its mastery of the public-private partnership model and our commitment to sustainable development have made us a benchmark player in major environmental matters. (3) Japan Airlines: This is a $10 a share stock with a market cap of $8.8B. It is found in the Transportation-Airline industry. I see a Zacks Value score of A, a Zacks Growth score of B, and a Zacks Momentum score of B. Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. provides scheduled and non-scheduled air transport, aerial work, and aircraft maintenance services. The company's operating segment consists of Air Transport and Others. · The Air Transport segment engages in scheduled and non-scheduled transport operations for cargo and international and domestic passengers · The Others segmentencompasses airline-related business like ticket reservation system, baggage delivery and travel planning services Japan Airlines Co. is headquartered in Tokyo. Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Veolia Environnement SA (VEOEY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ahold NV (ADRNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Japan Airlines Ltd (JAPSY) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ahold Delhaize names chief supply chain officer and chief commercial and digital officer
You can find original article here Supermarketnews. Subscribe to our free daily Supermarketnews newsletter. Ahold Delhaize promoted two of its executives, announcing on Wednesday that Sanja Krajnovic will serve as chief supply chain officer and Keith Nicks will serve as chief commercial and digital officer. Krajnovic joined as executive vice president ADUSA Distribution and ADUSA Transportation in 2022; Nicks previously served solely as chief digital officer for the food retail group. Ahold Delhaize USA noted in a press release that Krajnovic has overseen the transformation of the company's supply chain 'into an integrated self-distribution model, enhancing operations, driving increased efficiency and savings, and improving safety performance, retention, and culture.' That transformation earned ADUSA Distribution and ADUSA Transportation spots in the 2025 Top Employers in the U.S. by the Top Employer Index. 'Given the scope of her role leading one of the largest supply chains on the East Coast, with more than 20 distribution centers and an expansive transportation network, it is important to have Sanja and her teams represented within our U.S. leadership group,' J.J. Fleeman, Ahold Delhaize USA CEO, said in a press release. 'Sanja has helped further solidify our self-distribution model as a competitive edge in the markets where the U.S. brands operate, with nearly 90% of our network now self-distributed.' Krajnovic previously served as senior vice president of store operations at Dollar General and as group vice president, global supply chain logistics, at Target. Nicks, in his expanded role, will oversee Ahold's commercial capabilities in the U.S., including private brands and merchandising services. In his role as chief digital officer, Nicks will bring those brands and merchandising branches of the business together through various digital capabilities, such as retail media, omnichannel marketing, product experience and design, and ecommerce fulfillment partnerships, the company said. 'By uniting leadership for commercial and digital, we continue to drive simplicity and effectiveness with teams focused on both strategy and value across the full commercial ecosystem,' Fleeman said. 'He is a trusted advisor, passionate about our business of selling groceries and is recognized throughout the organization for being a dedicated leader who drives innovation, performance and change, and I am excited about all he will bring to this role.' Prior to joining Ahold, Nicks served in a variety of leadership roles at Food Lion, including category manager, director of operations, director of marketing, and director of loyalty and digital marketing. At Ahold, he has served as VP of customer engagement and SVP of digital, personalization, loyalty, and analytics. Ahold Delhaize USA operates the grocery banners Food Lion, The GIANT Company, Giant Food, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop. Sign in to access your portfolio
