FTC Receives Petition from Koninklijke Ahold N.V. and Brunos Supermarkets to Reopen and Modify Commission Final Order

Petition to reopen and modify Commission order: The Commission has received a petition from Koninklijke Ahold N.V. (Ahold) and Bruno’s Supermarkets, Inc. (Bruno’s) requesting that the FTC reopen and modify a final decision and order dated January 16, 2002. Under the order, Ahold, a global food service distributor and retailer headquartered in the Netherlands, was permitted to acquire all of the outstanding voting stock of Bruno’s, a large supermarket chain in the southeastern United States, provided it met certain conditions.

Specifically, among other things, the order required Ahold to divest 2 BI-LO supermarkets, one in Milledgeville and one in Sandersville, Georgia, to Kroger and Winn-Dixie, respectively. Under the order, Ahold also must notify the Commission, for 10 years from the date the order became final, prior to acquiring any supermarkets (or supermarket interests) in Baldwin and Washington counties, Georgia.

In its petition, Ahold states that in 2005 it sold all of its supermarket assets in the areas covered by the order and that, therefore, it no longer owns or operates any supermarket assets in these areas. Consequently, Ahold requests that the Commission vacate the order insofar as it relates to Ahold.

The Commission is accepting public comments on the petition for 30 days, beginning today and ending on May 17, 2006. Comments should be sent to: FTC, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20580. (FTC File No. 011-0247, Docket No. C-4027; the staff contact is Elizabeth A. Piotrowski, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2623; see press release dated December 7, 2001.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.