Albert Heijn
Encyclopedia
Albert Heijn B.V. is a supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

 chain founded in 1887 in Oostzaan
Oostzaan
Oostzaan is a municipality and a town in the Zaanstreek, Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town has a population of 9.104 inhabitats in december 2010. Oostzaan has got 11.49 km² land and 4.64 km² water....

, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. It is named after Albert Heijn, Sr., the founder of the first store in Oostzaan.

Albert Heijn is the oldest part of Ahold
Ahold
Ahold is a major international supermarket operator based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Ahold is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.-History:...

, and still has the largest market share in the Netherlands. The stores are full service supermarkets (as opposed to discounters) known for their focus on quality stores and products. This focus on quality is part of the reason that Albert Heijn is regarded as one of the more expensive supermarkets. However, after the recent price war
Price war
Price war is a term used in economic sector to indicate a state of intense competitive rivalry accompanied by a multi-lateral series of price reduction. One competitor will lower its price, then others will lower their prices to match. If one of them reduces their price again, a new round of...

 - initiated by Albert Heijn itself and involving nearly all Dutch supermarket chains from late 2003 all the way into 2006 - the prices are now at a normal level. Also, Albert Heijn uses three distinct price levels at which the products are priced. These are: the 'A-brands', a Store brand
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...

 and a discount brand named Euro Shopper
Euro Shopper
Euro Shopper is a discount brand of everyday commodities developed and marketed by AMS Sourcing B.V.. It was introduced to the market in 1996 and Euro Shopper branded products have been sold by some of the AMS members in different countries in Europe ever since.Euro Shopper products mostly include...

. Their store brand is considered to be near as good as the a-brand products, but at a lower price. Euro Shopper products mostly include commodities with long shelf life
Shelf life
Shelf life is the length of time that food, drink, medicine, chemicals, and many other perishable items are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale, use, or consumption...

. These products share the same simple packaging art to uphold the image of a no-nonsense, low price brand.

At the moment, its market share is around 30 per cent. Prices can be further discounted by using a customer discount card
Loyalty program
Loyalty programs are structured marketing efforts that reward, and therefore encourage, loyal buying behavior — behavior which is potentially beneficial to the firm....

, called "Bonuskaart" in Dutch. Their logo is a stylised "ah".

Types of stores

  • 832 regular Albert Heijn stores, ranging in categories 1 (small) to 5 (very large); mostly open until 21:00, some until 22:00 or even 23.00.
  • AH to go, 46 convenience store
    Convenience store
    A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...

    s located in high commuter traffic places such as train stations, offering ready-to-eat products; usually with extended shopping hours
    Shopping hours
    Customs and regulations for shopping hours vary from country to country.-Shopping days and impact of holidays:Some countries do not allow Sunday shopping. In Islamic countries some shops are closed on Fridays during noon...

    , closing between 22:00 and 1:00.
  • Albert Heijn XL, 30 hypermarket
    Hypermarket
    In commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full groceries lines and general merchandise...

    s located in several Dutch cities
  • Albert.nl, a web-based home delivery service offering all Albert Heijn products and those of other Ahold companies, such as Gall & Gall and Etos
    Etos
    Etos B.V. was founded in 1918 by Philips to create a grocery and drugstore where Philips employees could benefit from lower priced products than the average stores...


Key people

Albert Heijn (1865-1945)
Albert Heijn (1865)
Albert Heijn was the original founder of what now is the largest food retailer in the Netherlands. On his wedding day in 1887 he took over the grocery store of his father, Albert Heijn, Sr and the supermarket chain founded by his grandson carries the name Albert Heijn to this day....

 was the original founder of Albert Heijn stores, what now is the largest food retailer in the Netherlands. His grandson, Albert Heijn (1927-2011), was the founder of Ahold. Albert's brother, Gerrit Jan Heijn
Gerrit Jan Heijn
Gerrit Jan Heijn was a Dutch businessman, who was a top manager of Ahold until his death in 1987. His grandfather was Albert Heijn, who originally founded the family business, and his older brother was also named Albert Heijn, who was the founder of Ahold...

(1931-1987), also a top manager at Ahold, was kidnapped and murdered in 1987.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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