Ahold Delhaize to close underperforming US Stop & Shop stores

(Reuters) - Supermarket group Ahold Delhaize said on Thursday it will close an undisclosed number of underperforming Stop & Shop grocery stores in the U.S. this year.

Ahold Delhaize declined to disclose the number of shops affected, saying it would do so later in the year.

"Stop & Shop has already evaluated its overall portfolio and will make difficult decisions to close underperforming stores to create a healthy store base for the long term," the group's U.S. CEO JJ Fleeman said during a call with analysts.

Stop & Shop, a chain located in the U.S. northeast, is one of the group's five brands in the country and operates nearly 400 stores.

Ahold Delhaize earns more than half of its revenues in the United States.

In 2023, it reported U.S. sales of 54.54 billion euros.

(Reporting by Diana Mandiá; editing by Rod Nickel)