Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV

The Department of Justice has expanded its beef price investigation to include eight major grocery retailers—Walmart, Costco, Amazon, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, Aldi, and Ahold Delhaize USA—amid concerns over high beef prices and inflation ahead of the midterm elections. The DOJ announced the probe on September 1, calling beef prices a priority, and it builds on an earlier antitrust investigation into meatpackers launched in May. The average price of ground beef hit $6.89 per pound in July, up 10% from a year earlier, driven by drought, screwworm infestations, and tariffs. The administration has also taken steps to ease prices, including allowing imports of Brazilian and Argentine beef, which drew backlash from ranchers. Meanwhile, meatpackers like Tyson and JBS have reported significant losses, and the DOJ's scrutiny of retailers marks a new front in the effort to address affordability.

Ahold Delhaize reported a 4.2% decline in second-quarter net income to 526 million euros, while net sales edged up 0.3% to 23.165 billion euros. Underlying EBITDA slipped 0.6% to 1.795 billion euros, with the margin narrowing to 7.7% from 7.8% a year earlier. The company declared an interim dividend of 0.51 euro for 2026, unchanged from the prior year. Ahold Delhaize reiterated its fiscal 2026 guidance for mid- to high-single-digit underlying earnings per share growth at constant exchange rates and an underlying operating margin of around 4%.

Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Americold Realty Trust, Inc. The investigation concerns whether Americold and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. On July 23, 2026, Americold disclosed it had entered into a Termination and Wind Down Agreement with ADUSA Distribution, LLC, a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize USA, to wind down operations at its automated retail distribution center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and will not commence operations at its automated retail fulfillment center in Plainville, Connecticut. As a result, the company expects to record a non-cash impairment charge of approximately $305 million to $320 million in the second quarter of 2026. Following this news, Americold’s stock price fell $1.20 per share, or 7.84%, to close at $14.10 per share on July 23, 2026.

Americold Realty Trust and Ahold Delhaize USA have agreed to wind down their automated retail distribution center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and will not start operations at a planned automated facility in Plainville, Connecticut. The cold-storage REIT expects to record a non-cash impairment charge of $305 million to $325 million in the second quarter of 2026, against a combined net book value of approximately $455 million for the two facilities as of June 30, 2026. Operations at the Pennsylvania site will be unwound by December 31, 2026, with a possible six-month extension, while the Connecticut facility will be idled immediately. Americold is pursuing disposition of both properties but may also consider continued ownership, redevelopment, or remediation. The company said the wind-down will not affect its previously issued full-year 2026 outlook and that the facilities' results are not material to its financial statements for fiscal 2026 or prior periods.

Ahold Delhaize USA has agreed to pay $40 million to resolve allegations that it submitted inflated prescription drug pricing data to federal health care programs. The Justice Department alleged that the grocery chain operator, whose supermarket banners include Giant, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, and Food Lion, failed to report discounted prescription prices as its usual and customary rates when billing Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and Tricare, causing the programs to reimburse pharmacies at higher amounts. Of the total settlement, approximately $32.9 million will go to the federal government, with the remainder distributed among participating states, and whistleblower Lawrence LaBenne will receive more than $6 million. Ahold Delhaize emphasized that the settlement resolves allegations without an admission of wrongdoing and noted that the billing questions relate to programs discontinued nearly a decade ago.