Dutch retailer Ahold today (17 January) booked an increase in fourth-quarter and full-year sales, which were boosted by gains at its domestic and US units.
The company said sales rose 8.5% in fiscal 2012. Stripping out currency exchange, sales were up 3.5%.
During the fourth-quarter sales rose 7.5% to EUR7.8bn (US$10.42bn), the company revealed.
In the US, where the company has worked to improve the performance of its formats, such as Stop & Shop, sales rose 4.3%. Ahold attributed the gain to the "exceptional efforts" of its staff during Hurricane Sandy. "We continued to gain market share in all our divisions," Ahold said.
Meanwhile, at home Ahold saw sales increase 7.7%, driven by the contribution of 15 acquired C100/Jumbo stores and share gains at Albert Heijn.
The group added it was "pleased" by the performance of its fledgling business in Belgium, where it operates 11 Albert Heijn outlets.
