Ahold Delhaize Estimates Cyberattack to Cost Up to €250M in Q4 Net Sales

Financial Impact of Cyberattack

Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch-Belgian grocery giant, estimates that a cyberattack in October will result in a reduction of €200 million to €250 million ($224 million to $280 million) in its fourth-quarter net sales. The company also anticipates a €75 million to €100 million ($84 million to $112 million) impact on its fourth-quarter underlying and IFRS operating income. These figures were released alongside its third-quarter results, though the attack occurred after the quarter closed.

Revised Financial Guidance

The financial repercussions of the cyberattack, combined with new Serbian regulations concerning supplier payments, have led Ahold Delhaize to revise its 2026 guidance. The company now projects diluted underlying earnings per share to grow in the low single digits, a decrease from its previous forecast of mid to high single digits. Free cash flow is also expected to be around €2.1 billion ($2.36 billion), down from at least €2.3 billion ($2.58 billion).

Incident Details and Response

Ahold Delhaize first reported the incident in mid-October, stating it had disconnected some systems after detecting a security issue. On October 19, the company confirmed it was a cyberattack but noted no evidence of customer, associate, or partner data theft at that time. Frans Muller, Ahold Delhaize’s president and CEO, stated that the company took systems offline to protect its IT environment, primarily affecting online capabilities in the Benelux and US, as well as Benelux supply-chain operations. Most disruptions were contained within two weeks, but restoration efforts are ongoing. The specific type of attack has not been disclosed.