JJ Fleeman has been appointed as the U.S. CEO of Ahold Delhaize, the Zaandam, Netherlands-based global food retailer announced at its Annual General Meeting.
Fleeman will oversee the third-largest U.S. conventional supermarket operation, behind Kroger and Albertsons. The company includes the chains Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, and Hannaford, totaling 2,051 stores along the East Coast.
Fleeman has been with Ahold Delhaize companies for 30 years, and since May 2018, he had served as the president of Peapod Digital Labs and as the chief commercial and digital officer of ADUSA.
“Today, I’m humbled by the opportunity to take on a new role as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA," Fleeman said in a statement. “I started my career more than 30 years ago in grocery retail, and I have a great passion for this business, helping customers access affordable, healthy, and sustainable food. I look forward to collaborating with many others across the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA—and leveraging our scale as a global retailer—as we create great places to work for our teams, deliver innovation in food, technology and the customer experience at each local brand, and drive a culture of belonging for everyone."
Fleeman is succeeding Kevin Holt, who has been CEO since 2018 and will remain in an advisory capacity until his full retirement at the end of the year.
As of its 2022 fiscal year end, Ahold Delhaize had a total of 7,659 stores in the U.S., the Netherlands, Belgium and Central and Southeastern Europe, with 5,608 locations in Europe.