Cyberattack Forces Nationwide IT Outage at Albert Heijn, Disrupting Dutch Food Supply

On Sunday afternoon, Ahold Delhaize – the parent of Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall – detected a “security issue” and shut down multiple systems. The shutdown halted the chain’s website, mobile app, online ordering and delivery services. Physical stores stayed open, but point-of-sale terminals ran on limited functionality and loyalty offers displayed outdated information.

Major cyber incident at Ahold Delhaize: Albert Heijn, Food Lion, Hannaford and more offline Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty Ahold Delhaize IT outage: empty shelves at Albert Heijn, limited e-commerce at Delhaize IT outages at Ahold Delhaize may last another week WCVB - Boston News

Analysts traced suspicious traffic to servers in the United States, Poland, Moldova and Turkey. One expert said the attackers may have used U.S. servers to reach Dutch systems, while another noted rapid detection likely limited deeper infiltration. The outage affected six Albert Heijn distribution centres, halting deliveries and leaving fresh-produce shelves empty in The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Amsterdam. Etos and Gall & Gall outlets reported similar issues; Belgian Delhaize stores experienced minor technical problems but continued receiving supplies.

Albert Heijn begins restocking as hack traced to foreign servers

Ahold Delhaize announced a “controlled restart” on Tuesday, beginning with inventory applications. By Wednesday morning the company said all Albert Heijn distribution centres would be operational by day’s end, allowing regular deliveries of non-perishable items and a gradual resumption of fresh-product logistics.

IT outages at Ahold Delhaize may last another week

With inventory systems offline, many stores saw gaps on shelves; fruit and vegetable supplies fell by roughly ten percent, according to a supplier estimate. Frozen goods, bread and other long-shelf-life items remained largely available. Loyalty programmes continued processing payments, but personalized discounts and Air Miles were temporarily disabled. Existing online orders were canceled; customers who had paid will be reimbursed once systems are restored.

Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty

Ahold Delhaize emphasized that no evidence of customer-data theft has been found and that the shutdown was necessary to protect its IT environment. The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature is monitoring the situation, and trade association CBL urged consumers not to panic-buy.

Cyberattack Prompts Grocery Giant Ahold Delhaize to Disconnect Systems

• “We understand that this is an unpleasant situation for everyone involved. We are in close contact with our client and are doing everything we can to ensure our deliveries go ahead as far as possible,” — Central Procurement department

Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty

• “It is true that work has come to a complete standstill at some distribution centres, because we have had to shut down the systems as a precautionary measure,” — CEO Margaret Versteden-van Duijn

Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty

• Six Albert Heijn distribution centres serve the Dutch network.

Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty

• Fresh-produce shelves were empty in at least four major cities on Tuesday morning.

Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty

• A grower estimated a ten-percent reduction in orders from Albert Heijn-linked companies.

Cyber incident leaves Albert Heijn's fruit and vegetable shelves empty

Sources differ on whether to label the incident a hack or a generic “security issue.” Cybersecurity experts confirm malicious traffic, but the company avoids calling it a cyberattack. Police have not yet established a criminal offense, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Now Albert Heijn: Netherlands is facing one hack after another

CEO Margaret Versteden-van Duijn said inventory systems are the first to be restored, with a full return to normal operations expected within a week. The retailer will continue reimbursing affected online customers and monitoring supply-chain stability. No further milestones have been announced.

IT outages at Ahold Delhaize may last another week