- On October 30, 2023, Ahold Dehaize announced that it will pay EUR 1.3 billion to acquire Profi Rom Food from investment fund Mid Europa Partners.
- With this acquisition, Ahold Delhaize will double its size in Romania and increase its sales by €2.5 billion by adding 1,654 stores to the 969 Mega Image outlets, the group’s local brand, that it currently has in the country.
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Biedronka had a craving. The Romanian chain changes its owner
Impact on consumers and suppliers
The Romanian competition authority has expressed reservations about the planned acquisition. The deal could result in consumers having less choice when shopping for food, and the consolidation could also have a negative impact on suppliers.
In response, Ahold Delhaize said it was working on “appropriate commitments” to address the competition authority’s concerns. “We are confident that the commitments that will be proposed to the competition authority will be satisfactory and appropriate to address the concerns expressed,” the Dutch retailer said.
What do we know about the Profi network?
Profi is a leading Romanian convenience and proximity supermarket chain. The company has over 1,650 stores in Romania, where it generated revenues of over EUR 2.5 billion in the twelve months ending in June 2023. After Profi was acquired by MidEuropa in 2017, the company grew to become the largest supermarket chain in Romania in terms of number of stores and was one of the fastest growing retail chains in the country, expanding by over 1,100 points of sale and recording a more than 3.3-fold increase in sales.
Before the announcement that the chain was being bought by Ahold Delhaize, the Romanian press speculated that Profi was of interest to, among others, Biedronka and Dino.
