Ahold Delhaize will start its €1 billion share buyback programme at the end of December 2025. Purchases are expected to run through 2026.
The plan was first set out with the group’s Q3 2025 results on November 5. The company said the buyback will begin on December 29, 2025, and may continue until the end of 2026, subject to shareholder approval.
This is a straight capital return move. Ahold Delhaize will buy shares in the market and cancel them. That reduces the number of shares in issue.
At current prices, the €1bn programme equals around 28.8 million shares, or roughly 3.2% of the company’s outstanding share capital.
The buyback will be carried out in one or more tranches. An independent intermediary will execute the trades within set limits and in line with market rules. Shares will sit in treasury until they are cancelled. The company said the programme could change if major corporate actions take place, including large acquisitions.
What The Buyback Tells Us
This is about confidence and timing.
By committing to a programme that runs well into 2026, Ahold Delhaize is signalling that it expects cash generation to remain solid beyond the current financial year. That matters in grocery retail, where margins are still under pressure and price competition has not gone away.
It also places the group among the more active capital returners in the sector. Some retailers remain cautious. Others, including Tesco, have also stepped up buybacks, raising expectations across the market.
For suppliers and partners, the message is clear. This is a financially strong Netherlands supermarket operator at group level, but with most of its earnings power coming from the United States. That mix gives the business more flexibility than many purely European peers.
Ahold Delhaize operates supermarket brands across Europe and the US and serves more than 70 million customers each week.
The company said it will issue regular updates on the progress of the programme.
Editor’s note: This article is based on Ahold Delhaize’s official announcement dated December 22, 2025, and its Q3 2025 earnings release on November 5, 2025.
