Pierre-Olivier Beckers said: “We never comment on rumours, but we would not be opposed, on principle, to such a transaction, but everything is a question of opportunity.”
Beckers said that Delhaize would also consider a separate sale of its operations in Romania and Indonesia, but said it remains committed to all seven countries in which it operates.
In an interview with Belgian financial daily newspaper L’Echo, Beckers said: “If a buyer came along [for the emerging markets of Indonesia and Romania], we could sell in order to relocate our resources to our core businesses in the US, Belgium and Greece. In an ideal world, we would have a more balanced portfolio.”
Management Horizons Europe chief executive George Wallace said a key rationale for the long-rumoured merger with Ahold would be economies of scale.
“They can generate quite substantial cost savings from centralised operations, such as not requiring two sets of buying teams,” he said.
However, Wallace said that it was more likely that a deal would not come to fruition. “I would not hold your breath,” he added.
Delhaize, which recorded sales of 19.2 billion (£13.42 billion) in 2006, will report its third-quarter results on November 8. JPMorgan analysts expect it to deliver a 1.7 per cent increase in like-for-like sales at its Belgian division.
Last week, Ahold Group posted total sales up 1.1 per cent to 6.3 billion (£4.4 billion). It said that continuing price investments and operational changes related to the Value Improvement Program at Stop & Shop and Giant Landover in the US would continue to affect margins.
Like-for-like sales increased 1.7 per cent at Stop & Shop and 1.6 per cent at Giant Landover during the period. Ahold declined to comment on the Delhaize merger speculation.
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