Ahold Delhaize reports cyber incident to police
This allows police to launch a formal procedure as the supermarket group restores its digital services.
Follow-up to: Albert Heijn gradually resumes deliveries after cyber incident Friday, 23 October 2026, 10:09
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Ahold Delhaize has reported to the police the cyber incident that affected Albert Heijn, among others. The police and Public Prosecution Service can therefore formally gather information, while it is still unknown who was behind the incident or what data was affected.
The supermarket group announced on Friday that it had reported the incident to the Dutch police. The police had previously said that no criminal investigation was under way because no report had been filed. The new step is therefore a clear development in a case that has already affected websites, apps and delivery services for days.
Ahold Delhaize says it has kept the National Cyber Security Centre and other competent authorities informed. The company describes the incident as a cybersecurity incident and says it shut down several systems as a precaution.
Albert Heijn said that its website and app were largely available again and that deliveries were gradually resuming. The digital services of Etos and Gall & Gall are also being restored. Ahold Delhaize's online operations in the United States are expected to follow later.
Reporting the incident does not mean that there is already a suspect or that the police have established the cause. Investigators must first secure technical data, determine which systems were accessed and establish whether criminal offences can be proven.
According to the companies, there is currently no indication that customer, staff or partner data has been stolen. This is a provisional statement during an ongoing investigation and does not rule out new information emerging later.
For customers, vigilance around phishing remains particularly important. During major digital disruptions, criminals may pose as employees or customer-service staff. The police and the company have not reported that a specific phishing campaign has been linked to this incident.
The case also shows why organisations should report incidents quickly. The police can compare the technical characteristics of an attack with other incidents and potentially identify links. No reliable public information is yet available about the scale, method or perpetrators.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Ahold Delhaize has reported the incident to the police.
- The incident affected the digital services of several brands.
- The police have not disclosed a perpetrator or cause.
Left
Arguments From this perspective, large companies should not only inform customers but also demonstrably invest in digital security and not pass the costs of incidents on to consumers or staff.
Values Consumer protection, transparency and collective security.
Consequences Stricter requirements and greater oversight may increase costs, but from this left-wing perspective they could also reduce the social harm caused by outages and data breaches.
Centre
Arguments A formal investigation should establish the facts first; companies should report incidents promptly and inform customers clearly without obstructing the investigation.
Values Proportionality, expertise and legal certainty.
Consequences Targeted measures can improve resilience without turning every incident into a general obligation or sanction.
Right
Arguments Responsibility initially lies with the company to secure its systems properly and report the incident; the government should focus primarily on effective investigation and enforcement.
Values Individual responsibility, security and an efficient government.
Consequences Clear liability and robust prosecution can incentivise companies, while avoiding overregulation and unnecessary data-sharing.
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 report to the police and the authorities involved were directly confirmed by Ahold Delhaize and police information. The article makes no unsubstantiated claims about perpetrators, the cause or data theft.
- confirmed Ahold Delhaize has reported the incident to the police. — Reported directly by Ahold Delhaize. source
- confirmed The police previously said that no criminal investigation was under way. — This is stated in the police information about the incident. source
- confirmed There is currently no indication of data theft. — This is the provisional statement from Albert Heijn and Ahold Delhaize; the investigation is still under way. source
Editor's note
The report to the police and the restoration of services have been confirmed by Ahold Delhaize. The identity of the perpetrators, the attack method and any data theft remain unknown.Sources
- Ahold Delhaize update on status of cybersecurity incident — Ahold Delhaize
- Informatie over het cybersecurityincident bij Albert Heijn — Politie
- Cybersecurity incident: veiligheid en gegevens — Albert Heijn
The story so far
- Friday, 23 October 2026, 10:09 Albert Heijn gradually resumes deliveries after cyber incident
- Friday, 23 October 2026, 18:41 Ahold Delhaize reports cyber incident to police (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „ahold delhaize”
- NU.nl — „ahold delhaize”
- De Telegraaf — „ahold delhaize”