Incident Response
Ahold Delhaize cyberattack disrupts online grocery shopping in US and Europe
Ahold Delhaize, the global grocery chain, took systems offline after a cyberattack disrupted online services for shoppers in the US and Europe. The company says no sensitive data is known to be stolen, but the investigation continues.
Ross GrantUpdated 2 min read
The short version
Ahold Delhaize, which owns supermarkets like Food Lion and Albert Heijn, was hit by a cyberattack. This caused online shopping and delivery to stop for customers in the US and Europe, though stores stayed open. The company says it does not believe customer data was stolen, but it is still investigating. Online services are being restored in phases.
What happened?
Ahold Delhaize, a major grocery retailer, confirmed that a cyberattack forced it to take systems offline across most of its US and European brands. The incident disrupted online shopping services, though stores stayed open. The company says there is no evidence yet that sensitive data was stolen, but the investigation is ongoing.
Who is affected
Ahold Delhaize is one of the world's largest grocery retailers, operating brands such as Food Lion and Stop & Shop in the US, and Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall & Gall in the Netherlands. The cyberattack affected online shopping services for these brands across the US, Netherlands, and Belgium. While physical stores remained open, customers could not access online ordering or delivery for several days. E-commerce services in Belgium and Central and Southeastern Europe were also disrupted, though these have now been restored. The company has not reported any impact on in-store shopping.
The response
Ahold Delhaize confirmed that the disruption was caused by "malicious actions" in its IT systems. The company took systems offline as a precaution, which led to the outages. It notified Dutch cybersecurity authorities within 24 hours of detecting the incident and filed a police report in the Netherlands. CEO Frans Muller apologised to customers, emphasising that taking systems offline was necessary to protect further damage. The company is restoring services in phases. As of the latest update, US online shopping services remain down, but Dutch websites and apps are back online, with home deliveries expected to resume soon. The company is not sharing technical details about the attack, citing security concerns and the ongoing investigation.
What was taken
At this stage, Ahold Delhaize says there is no evidence that sensitive customer, employee, or partner data was stolen. However, the investigation is ongoing, and the company has cautioned that this could change as more information comes to light.
Has this happened before?
Ahold Delhaize suffered a previous cyberattack in 2024. During that incident, more than 2.2 million people had information stolen from the company’s systems, affecting prominent supermarkets in the US. The company has not said whether the current attack is related to the earlier breach.
What you should do
Customers who use Ahold Delhaize brands for online shopping should monitor for updates on service restoration. While there is no current evidence of data theft, it is wise to watch for suspicious emails or account activity, especially if you have used these services in the past. Businesses can learn from Ahold Delhaize’s approach: taking systems offline quickly may help contain damage during an active cyberattack.
Why it matters
The attack shows how cyber incidents can disrupt everyday services like grocery shopping. Even when stores stay open, online services many people rely on can be knocked out for days. It also highlights the importance of quick response and transparency from large companies.
Key points
- Ahold Delhaize took systems offline after a cyberattack hit its brands in the US and Europe.
- Online shopping and delivery were disrupted, but physical stores stayed open.
- No evidence yet of sensitive data theft, but the investigation continues.
- The company is restoring services in phases and notified authorities quickly.
- Ahold Delhaize suffered a similar cyberattack in 2024, with data stolen then.
Sources
Recorded Future News
Reference
