Ahold Delhaize gains insight advantage with IRI

An expansive new agreement between Ahold Delhaize and analytics and technology solutions provider IRI is being hailed as a transformational alliance.

Ahold Delhaize chose IRI to serve as the company’s primary partner and analytics platform for various retail banners including Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Giant Foods, GIANT/MARTIN’S and Hannaford brands. Those banner, or brands as they are referred to by Ahold USA and Delhaize America, constitute the largest grocery retailer group on the East Coast of the U.S. The deal allows Ahold Delhaize to leverage IRI’s Liquid Data technology platform and includes integrated point-of-sale, frequent shopper and supply chain data for Delhaize America and POS and supply chain data for Ahold USA.

“This is a transformational alliance that will give the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America a more comprehensive understanding of their businesses, improve collaboration with suppliers and provide a holistic view of the customer,” said JJ Fleeman, Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Delhaize America. “The Brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America look forward to leveraging this partnership to grow through more effective and efficient business operations and more personalized consumer impacts.”

Fleeman’s colleague with Ahold USA, Nick Bertram, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, expressed a similar sentiment.

“This partnership builds on the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America’s commitments to big data and technology to drive consumer-centric collaboration and growth,” Bertram said. “More than ever, winning with customers requires the right combination of strategy, tools, talent and data technology, and the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America are pleased to partner with an industry leader with a proven track record in helping retailers find new avenues of growth.”

In addition, the companies contend that Ahold USA and Delhaize America and their suppliers will benefit from simplified access to best-in-class consumer insights and analytics that empower better and faster business decisions, improved targeting capabilities and increased marketing effectiveness.

In short, the combined Ahold and Delhaize network of roughly 2,000 stores will be able to realize the full value of their data, according to Andrew Appel, IRI’s President and CEO.

“The brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America have an impressive footprint in key markets up and down the U.S. East Coast, and their decision to partner with IRI underscores the strength of our offerings and team, and our unmatched ability to help retailers grow and collaborate with their suppliers,” Appel said. “This partnership will arm their key supplier decision-makers with access to innovative and business-critical shopper and market insights, translating into better category management, a better experience for customers and better returns for the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America.”