Dutch-based retailer Ahold Delhaize, which runs more than 9,400 stores in Europe, the US, and Indonesia, confirmed on 12 October 2026 a “security issue within its network” and took some systems offline to protect them. The disruption hit Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and several of the group’s US grocery chains.
What happened
- In the Netherlands, online ordering and delivery stopped at Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall & Gall, the Bonus loyalty card stopped working, and work halted at some Albert Heijn distribution centres, leaving empty shelves.
- Delhaize in Belgium reported IT problems, and in the US the websites and apps of Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford, Giant Food, and The GIANT Company were still down on 14 October, although stores and pharmacies stayed open.
- A controlled restart of systems began on 13 October. The company said it had no evidence that customer or employee data had been taken.
- Ahold Delhaize has not said how it was compromised, and no group has claimed responsibility. It told Reuters there was no evidence of a link to the French supermarket refrigeration attacks that weekend.
Why it mattered
It showed how a precautionary shutdown at one retail group can spread through logistics, pricing, and online sales in several countries at once.
Lessons for organisations
Plan how to isolate systems without stopping distribution, keep offline fallbacks for pricing and loyalty schemes, and warn customers about follow-on phishing after a public incident.
Source: BleepingComputer
Part of our Top stories archive of headline-making events in information security, privacy, and AI. If you would like help applying the lessons to your organisation, contact us.
