Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

When we say “workforce,” we mean people: every person who works for Ahold Delhaize, whether it is in one of our local brands, the GSO or our leadership teams. We have two areas of focus:

BALANCED SLATES

We are committed to hiring from diverse slates of candidates and have implemented a policy requiring 50/50 diverse candidate and succession slates for all roles at the Director and above level.

LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY

Every leader plays a critical role in advancing our diversity and inclusion efforts by being active, visible advocates and allies. They help by allowing associates to be vulnerable; encouraging them to express and explore what they don’t know, understand, or agree with; making sure team members lift each other up, especially when a perspective, identity or view is under-represented; and enabling every associate to grow, both individually and together

An inclusive workplace, where associates feel that they belong, is what makes people stay, and makes them happy to return to work each day. We believe that inclusion should be woven into the fabric of our culture – and this guides how we behave and treat each other and our customers. We believe in fostering a culture built on our shared values of courage, care, teamwork, integrity and humor, where everyone feels respected and a part of Ahold Delhaize.

INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

We believe that being equitable and inclusive drives business results and guides how we lead, act and treat each other and customers. We value everyone for being who they are and bringing their true selves to work every day so we can best serve customers and enable people to eat well, save time and live better.

We are seeing great initiatives taking place at the Ahold Delhaize brands and businesses to foster this behavior. For example, Retail Business Services in the U.S. introduced a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. ADUSA Supply Chain launched a diversity strategy called “Thrive” in October and Hannaford has expanded its commitment to diversity by enabling associates to include their chosen pronouns on their name tags. Albert introduced its D&I agenda to its top 50 leaders through a session leveraging hired actors who role played as students, acting out behaviors of introversion, extroversion, and diversity biases tied to the workplace. At the end of the exercise, leaders were asked to hire these “students” for particular roles, creating a discussion around potential outcomes. Bol.com further integrated diversity and inclusion through its onboarding and leadership programs, trainings on intercultural awareness and unconscious bias, an inclusion toolkit, and its internal communication strategy.

PAY EQUITY

Ensuring pay equity is an important mission for us, in line with our diversity and inclusion aspirations. Pay equity principles Ahold Delhaize published its inaugural Human Rights Report in June 2020. An integral part of this report is an outline of the compensation commitments by Ahold Delhaize and each of the brands. We know that the broader offer we make as employers, such as health benefits, working conditions and the diversity and inclusiveness of the workforce, are of critical importance to associates’ appreciation of their overall working experience. Ahold Delhaize and each of its brands have adopted the following six overarching principles to guide fair compensation: 1. A solid base for comparing roles 2. Market-based compensation 3. Compensation in compliance with the law 4. Equal pay for equal work 5. Compensation aligned with individual performance and brand business strategy 6. Compensation that is transparent, consistent and explainable for the individual associate Within our brands and businesses, we consider these principles the basis for fairness in resolving disputes, or "procedural justice."

Business Resource Groups

We derive great value from the Business Resource Groups (BRGs) within our own company. All the brands leverage BRGs to support associate needs and advance local D&I strategies – and they are growing in number. These groups connect people across the brands, offering activities and initiatives throughout the year that support inclusion and education around topics relevant to diverse associates.

In 2021, Hannaford’s Retail BRG organized book talks and presentations on belonging at work. Its Hispanic BRG celebrated Hispanic Heritage month by marketing an associate’s recipe and unique story to inspire customers. Giant Food developed its PRIDE BRG to build a community for LGBTQ+ people. Its Thrive: People of Color BRG educates associates on topics important to its members, for example, awareness around Ramadan (Muslim holy month). Retail Business Services assessed and relaunched their current BRGs to be even more relevant to associates, rolling out Chair and Sponsor training and holding a membership drive. The European brands launched local branches of Young Ahold Delhaize; the Delhaize Serbia branch already connects around 140 young associates from stores, distribution centers and the support office, offering events and activities to help them get to know each other, share knowledge and make work fun. Albert also launched Experienced Albert, to further support age diversity and make associates feel included.

D&I goes beyond providing a great place to work. It's also about building communities.

EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS

As part of our strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, we proudly support external diversity and inclusion organizations, both through global partnerships as well as local partnerships that are managed by the Ahold Delhaize brands and businesses. We also derive great value from the Business Resource Groups within our own company. See Partnering across the industry below for details.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Ensuring that all of our associates understand our D&I aspiration and their role in creating an inclusive work environment is critical to advance in this space. In 2021, we committed to more transparency in communicating our D&I strategic priorities by sharing the progress we’ve made against our aspiration and the road forward.

Supplier diversity

In 2021, we made great strides in engaging diverse-owned suppliers. For example, Peapod Digital Labs (PDL) launched an Accelerator program, designed to share knowledge from Ahold Delhaize USA's brands and businesses with their networks of certified, diverse-owned suppliers. A total of 11 companies participated this year in this program that promotes stronger partnerships with suppliers and creates a sustainable supplier diversity program for the future. PDL provided graduates of its first Accelerator with $10,000 stipends to support further business development and growth. They awarded Harbar, a National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)-certified, Hispanic-owned business, an enhanced stipend of $20,000 for being the participating supplier with the freshest perspective. Retail Business Services offered scholarships to 20 National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)-certified, Black-owned suppliers to enroll in upcoming Tuck Diversity Business Programs, an executive education opportunity for entrepreneurs.