Ahold Delhaize has announced that Claude Sarrailh, CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia, will leave the company to become Chief Executive Officer of Esselunga.
The company said a six-month notice period applies while the search for a successor is now underway.
Claude Sarrailh joined Ahold Delhaize in 2024 after previously serving at Metro Group in Germany. During his time at the retailer, he helped strengthen the European leadership structure and worked on areas including own-brand development, sourcing operations, and business performance improvements across European markets.
Ahold Delhaize President and CEO Frans Muller said Sarrailh played an important role in leveraging scale across sourcing and digital operations while supporting collaboration between markets.
The retailer also confirmed that its Supervisory Board has started the succession process and will provide updates later.
The move is notable for the wider European supermarket sector because both Ahold Delhaize and Esselunga are major food retail operators with strong positions in grocery, private label, and supermarket supply chains.
Ahold Delhaize operates across Europe, the United States, and Indonesia through a portfolio of supermarket and online retail brands. The group serves more than 77 million customers weekly and operates over 9,500 stores globally.
Why it matters
Leadership changes at major supermarket groups can directly affect sourcing strategies, supplier relationships, and private label development across Europe.
The announcement is especially relevant for the Netherlands supermarket sector because Ahold Delhaize remains one of the country’s largest retail groups and a major force in European grocery consolidation, digital retail, and own-brand expansion.
What happens next
Claude Sarrailh will remain with Ahold Delhaize during the transition period before joining Esselunga as CEO. The retailer is now expected to begin evaluating internal and external candidates for one of the group’s most important international leadership positions.
Editors’ Note: Information in this article is based on the official Ahold Delhaize company announcement published on May 6, 2026.
