Ahold Delhaize Reports Stronger-Than-Expected Q4 Operating Profit

Supermarket group Ahold Delhaize reported a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter operating profit on Thursday, helped by solid sales growth in its home market of the Netherlands and in Belgium.

The company said its underlying operating profit rose 6.4% to 894 million euros ($988 million) in the three months to Dec. 31, beating analysts' average forecast of 874 million euros in a company-compiled poll. Net sales rose 5.4% on a like-for-like basis to 21.43 billion euros.

Ahold Delhaize, which is one of the world's largest retailers, said it expects to accelerate net sales growth with 10 billion euros in incremental sales in the coming years, driven by expansion in its core markets and growth in e-commerce.

The company's shares were up 2.8% at 0801 GMT.