Grocery giant Ahold Delhaize said Friday (Nov. 8) that it detected a cybersecurity issue within its U.S. network and that some Ahold Delhaize USA brands and services were affected when the company took some systems offline to help protect them.
A number of the company’s pharmacies and eCommerce operations were affected by the issue and the mitigating actions, Ahold Delhaize said in a Friday press release.
Ahold Delhaize has released no additional statements about the cybersecurity issue beyond that release, a company spokesperson told PYMNTS in a Monday (Nov. 11) email.
The company said in the Friday press release that its security teams began an investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts immediately upon detecting the issue, that it notified law enforcement, and that its teams were taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue.
“Each of Ahold Delhaize USA’s brands’ stores are open and serving customers,” the release said. “We will continue to take actions to further protect our systems. The security of our customers, associates and partners is a top priority.”
Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups, operating supermarkets and eCommerce sites in the United States, Europe and Indonesia, according to its website. Its U.S. brands include Food Lion, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop.
The grocery giant reported Thursday (Nov. 7) that its quarterly sales dipped amid product recalls and store closures.
The company’s quarterly earnings were impacted by its divestment of FreshDirect last year, a drop in gasoline sales, the closing of 32 of its Stop & Shop stores, and the mass recall of Boar’s Head deli meats following a deadly Listeria outbreak.
“Improvements in technology and innovation are also supporting robust growth in online sales in both regions, driven by double-digit growth in online grocery sales, excluding the divestment of Fresh Direct,” Ahold Delhaize President and CEO Frans Muller said in a Thursday earnings release.
PYMNTS reported in July that 2024 was already “the year of the cyberattack,” with data extortion and ransomware attacks having had a substantial impact on businesses and marketplaces during the first half of the year.
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