Ahold Delhaize cyberattack disrupts services across US and Europe

Supermarket giant says e-commerce restoration underway, no evidence of data theft found so far

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Ahold Delhaize, one of the world's largest food retail chains, confirmed that a cyberattack last week forced it to take some systems offline, disrupting websites, apps and customer service platforms across its European and US brands. The company said stores remained open and that an ongoing investigation has not yet found evidence that sensitive customer, associate or partner data was stolen.

The multinational retailer, which operates 9,551 stores and serves 77 million customers each week under banners including Albert Heijn, Etos, Gall & Gall, Delhaize and Stop & Shop, said the incident prompted it to disconnect certain systems to contain the threat.

In a Monday update, the company reported that most store websites and apps in Central and Southeastern Europe are now online, while restoration continues for some systems serving European and US brands. Albert Heijn's website and app are back, with home deliveries expected to resume from October 23. Etos and Gall & Gall websites are also available. E-commerce services at Ahold Delhaize USA brands are expected to return in the coming days, and e-commerce in Belgium is now fully operational.

Ahold Delhaize said it notified the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) within 24 hours of detecting malicious activity and has filed a formal police report with the Dutch police. The retail giant did not disclose further details that could interfere with response efforts or compromise security measures.

"Although this incident was caused by the malicious actions of others, we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused - especially to our customers," said Frans Muller, President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize.

This is the second major cyberattack to hit Ahold Delhaize in recent years. In November 2024, the personal, financial and health information of over 2.2 million individuals was stolen in an attack that affected US systems and was claimed by the ransomware group INC Ransom.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The disruption affected millions of grocery customers across the US and Europe, highlighting the vulnerability of critical retail infrastructure
Ahold Delhaize's systems serve 77 million weekly customers; prolonged outages can strain supply chains and consumer trust
This is the second major cyberattack on the company in two years, raising questions about the effectiveness of its security improvements since the 2024 incident

Background

Ahold Delhaize is a Dutch-Belgian multinational retail group operating grocery chains in the United States, Europe and Indonesia. In November 2024, a ransomware attack attributed to the INC Ransom group compromised data of over 2.2 million individuals in the US, including personal and health information. The latest incident, disclosed in October 2026, prompted the company to take systems offline preemptively. The company employs more than 384,000 people.

Key Perspectives

Ahold Delhaize: The company is prioritising restoring services and investigating the breach. It maintains that stores remained open and that preliminary investigations have not found evidence of data theft. It has cooperated with law enforcement and regulators. Customers: Shoppers faced offline websites, apps and customer service platforms, affecting online ordering, delivery scheduling and account access. Some US employees reported trouble accessing schedules and pay stubs. Critics/Sceptics: Given the recurrence of a major attack within two years, security observers may question whether prior breaches led to adequate defensive upgrades. The company's refusal to share details could also fuel speculation about the attack's origin and scope.

What to Watch

Restoration timeline for remaining US and European e-commerce services
Whether the ongoing investigation uncovers evidence of data exfiltration
Any attribution updates or ransomware group claims
Regulatory scrutiny from Dutch and US authorities

Sources

Ahold Delhaize: Cyberattack affects services across US and Europe · BleepingComputer

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe cyberattack disrupted services across the US and Europe.BleepingComputer: “Ahold Delhaize, one of the world's largest food retail chains, confirmed that last week's cyberattack disrupted services at stores across Europe and the United States.”
Partly supportedThe company said e-commerce restoration is underway, and its investigation has not found evidence of data theft.BleepingComputer: “an ongoing investigation has not yet found evidence that sensitive customer, associate, or partner data was stolen in the incident.”
Partly supportedThe attack disrupted websites, apps and customer service platforms across the company's European and US brands.BleepingComputer: “customers couldn't use websites, apps, and customer service platforms at Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall & Gall stores in the Netherlands, and Delhaize in Belgium”
Partly supportedThe attack forced the company to take some systems offline to contain the threat.BleepingComputer: “the cybersecurity incident announced last week forced it to take some systems offline, including its brands' websites and apps”
SupportedStores remained open during the disruption.BleepingComputer: “causing service issues, although stores remained open to serve customers.”
SupportedThe company operates 9,551 stores and serves 77 million customers each week.BleepingComputer: “The multinational retailer employs more than 384,000 people and operates 9,551 stores serving 77 million customers each week across the United States, Europe, and Indonesia.”
SupportedIn a Monday update, most store websites and apps in Central and Southeastern Europe were online, while restoration continued for some European and US systems and services.BleepingComputer: “In a Monday update, Ahold Delhaize said the cybersecurity incident announced last week forced it to take some systems offline, including its brands' websites and apps, causing service issues, although stores remained open to serve customers. While most store websites and apps in Central and Southeastern Europe (CSE) are now online, the company says it's still working to restore some systems and services for European and US brands that remain down.”
SupportedAlbert Heijn's website and app are back, with home deliveries expected to resume October 23; Etos and Gall & Gall websites are available; US-brand e-commerce is expected back in the coming days; and Belgian e-commerce is fully operational.BleepingComputer: “Albert Heijn's website and app are back online, with home deliveries expected to resume from Friday, October 23. The Etos and Gall & Gall websites are also available for customers. E-commerce services at our Ahold Delhaize USA brands are expected to come back in the coming days. In Belgium, e-commerce is now fully operational,”
SupportedAhold Delhaize notified the Dutch NCSC within 24 hours of detecting malicious activity and filed a formal police report with Dutch police.BleepingComputer: “we notified the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) within 24 hours of discovering the malicious activity and have continued to provide timely updates to the NCSC, law enforcement and other relevant regulatory authorities. Today, Ahold Delhaize has filed a formal police report with the Dutch police.”
SupportedFrans Muller said, “Although this incident was caused by the malicious actions of others, we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused - especially to our customers,” and was identified as Ahold Delhaize's President and CEO.BleepingComputer: ““Although this incident was caused by the malicious actions of others, we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused - especially to our customers,” said Frans Muller, President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize.”
SupportedThis is Ahold Delhaize's second major cyberattack in recent years; an attack in November 2024 stole personal, financial and health information of over 2.2 million people, affected US systems and was claimed by INC Ransom.BleepingComputer: “This is the second major cyberattack to affect Ahold Delhaize's systems in recent years, after the personal, financial, and health information of over 2.2 million individuals was stolen in a November 2024 attack that impacted the company's U.S. systems and was claimed by the ransomware group INC Ransom.”