The corporate executive board of Netherlands-based retailer Ahold has today expressed sadness at the passing of Albert Heijn, former president of the board and the grandson of Albert Heijn, the eponymous founder of the Dutch supermarket business.
Mr Heijn, who passed away at his home in the UK at the age of 83 on 13 January, joined the company in 1949 and was appointed president of the executive board in 1962, joining with his brother Gerrit-Jan to lead the transformation of the group into a major international food retailing group.
Following his retirment in 1989, Mr Heijn remained involved in Ahold, the founding company created in 1973, as a member of the supervisory board until 1997.
Ahold praised Mr Heijn's position as a 'driving force' in developing the Dutch and international food retail industries, introducing the first full-service grocery stores in the Netherlands and bringing a wider selection of products to consumers, while also taking a role in the establishment of a uniform barcode that remains a global standard to this day.
'Albert Heijn was a remarkable man. He was a spirited entrepreneur whose vision has helped shape the global food industry,' said Ahold CEO John Rishton. 'He was a warm and charismatic leader who was passionate about people – both those who worked for the company and all who shopped at our stores. My thoughts, and those of my colleagues on the corporate executive board, are with his wife Monique and their family.'
