Restoration of Albert Heijn systems could take another week
Ahold Delhaize has begun a controlled restart, while distribution and online ordering continue to experience disruption.
Follow-up to: Albert Heijn partly recovers, delivery remains unavailable Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 14:59
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According to Ahold Delhaize, it could take days to a week for all of Albert Heijn’s systems to be fully restored. The supermarket chain began a controlled restart on Tuesday, but stores and distribution centres are not yet operating normally everywhere.
Ahold Delhaize calls the incident a cybersecurity problem within its network. The group took systems offline as a precaution to investigate the attack and limit further spread. On Tuesday, the company reported that some systems were being restarted in a controlled manner.
The consequences are visible in the Netherlands in the supply chain. Some distribution centres have been halted, leaving stores with empty or less well-stocked shelves. Albert Heijn is trying to arrange additional deliveries, but has not said exactly which systems are functioning again.
Online ordering and delivery remain limited. The website and app were also unavailable in some places. The disruption therefore affects not only customers, but also suppliers, distribution partners and employees who depend on central planning and stock systems.
Ahold Delhaize says it currently has no indications that customer or employee data has been stolen. This is not a definitive conclusion: the investigation is still under way, and the group is deliberately providing few technical details so as not to hamper security and law-enforcement efforts.
The outage highlights how heavily a supermarket chain depends on digital links. A problem in central systems can simultaneously affect orders, transport, stock management, pricing information and customer service. Stores can then remain open, but do not function fully if the logistics systems fail.
According to Ahold Delhaize, infrastructure security is the priority. For customers, that currently means uncertainty mainly about product availability and delivery times. Only after the investigation is completed will it become clear how the attackers gained access, which systems were affected and what structural measures will follow.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Ahold Delhaize took systems offline as a precaution after a cybersecurity incident.
- The disruption affects, among other things, supplies, online ordering and delivery.
- The investigation into the cause and any data theft is still under way.
Left
Arguments A large supermarket group has a social responsibility when digital outages affect the food supply. Transparency, robust security standards and oversight of dependence within the supply chain should carry more weight than limiting reputational damage.
Values Public trustworthiness, employee and consumer protection, and the dispersal of market power.
Consequences More obligations and investment may increase costs, but according to this approach they reduce the damage caused by future incidents.
Centre
Arguments A controlled restart is sensible as long as the cause has not been established. Companies must inform customers promptly, while regulators should assess afterwards whether security and continuity were adequate.
Values Proportionality, continuity and feasibility.
Consequences A combination of voluntary industry standards and targeted enforcement can improve resilience without fully regulating every business process.
Right
Arguments The company itself should remain responsible for security and recovery. Too many regulations can slow innovation and efficiency in the supermarket sector, while competition gives customers alternatives.
Values Individual responsibility, market forces and efficiency.
Consequences The pressure would then fall mainly on Ahold Delhaize to recover quickly and limit damage, with fewer new general rules for the sector.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The reporting is based on Ahold Delhaize’s statement and an independent Dutch source. The technical cause and full recovery time have not been presented as established facts.
- confirmed Ahold Delhaize reported a controlled restart of some systems on 13 October. — Stated in the company update of 13 October. source
- confirmed Albert Heijn’s distribution and online services are still experiencing disruption. — Reported by DutchNews on the basis of company information and reporting about distribution centres. source
- confirmed Ahold Delhaize currently has no indications that customer or employee data has been stolen. — The company presents this as a provisional position in the investigation. source
- confirmed The group has not given a definitive recovery date. — The company update refers to further updates when appropriate. source
Editor's note
The controlled restart, supply problems and lack of indications of data theft have been confirmed. The cause, extent and definitive recovery time remain uncertain.Sources
- Update on Ahold Delhaize's cybersecurity incident — Ahold Delhaize
- Albert Heijn begins restocking as hack traced to foreign servers — DutchNews.nl
The story so far
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 07:30 Websites and apps of Ahold shops hit by outage
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 08:28 IT incident hits three Ahold retail chains
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 10:58 Ahold shuts down systems after security incident
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 14:58 Ahold investigates security incident, shops remain open
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 16:01 Picnic and Jumbo see extra demand after Albert Heijn outage
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 22:30 Albert Heijn distribution centres halted, empty shelves loom
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 07:57 Albert Heijn websites remain offline after cyber incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 08:59 Albert Heijn halts deliveries after cyber incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 09:28 Empty shelves follow cyber incident at Albert Heijn
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 12:27 Albert Heijn keeps shops open, but deliveries remain limited
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 14:59 Albert Heijn partly recovers, delivery remains unavailable
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 15:29 Ahold begins controlled restart after cyber incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 16:00 Ahold has yet to find signs of customer-data theft
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 18:30 Jetten: intervention at AH may have prevented a larger incident
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 20:59 Restoration of Albert Heijn systems could take another week (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „albert heijn”
- Trouw — „albert heijn”
- RTL Nieuws — „albert heijn”