GlobeNewswire Inc | Jan 3, 2022 02:00AM EST

January 03, 2022

Zaandam, the Netherlands, January 3, 2022 Ahold Delhaize today commences the 1 billion share buyback program announced on November 15, 2021 and expects to complete the program before the end of 2022.

Maintaining a balanced approach between funding growth in key channels and returning excess liquidity to shareholders is part of Ahold Delhaizes financial framework to support its Leading Together strategy. The purpose of the program is to reduce the capital of Ahold Delhaize, by cancelling all or part of the common shares acquired through the program.

The program will be executed within the limits of relevant laws and regulations, the existing authority granted at Ahold Delhaizes 2021 annual general meeting of shareholders on April 14, 2021 and the authority (if granted) by the annual general meeting on April 13, 2022.

The share buyback program is executed in one or several tranches. For each of them, an intermediary is mandated to execute the purchase of the shares at his own discretions during open and closed periods in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and within pre-defined execution parameters. Shares are bought in the market and accumulated on the treasury share account until cancellation. Pursuant to the relevant statutory provisions, cancellation may not be effected earlier than two months after a resolution to cancel shares is adopted and publicly announced. Ahold Delhaize is committed to the share buyback program, but management will continue to monitor macroeconomic developments caused by COVID-19. The program is also subject to changes in corporate activities, such as material M&A activity.

Ahold Delhaize will provide regular updates on the progress of the program by means of press releases.

Cautionary notice

This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words such as commences, expects, before, the end of, 2022, maintaining, growth, support, strategy reduce, will, if granted, pre-defined, may, until, after, committed, continue subject to or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the Company) to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Companys public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Companys management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Companys management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.