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Customers walking into an Albert Heijn in Amsterdam-Oost, 14 Oct. 2026
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Albert Heijn hasn’t reported hack to police; No grocery deliveries until at least Sunday
Friday, 16 October 2026 – 09:10
Albert Heijn has not yet reported a cyber attack to the police, Stan Duijf of the police said on the television program Pauw & De Wit on Thursday. The supermarket chain and other Ahold Delhaize subsidiaries have been grappling with issues stemming from a “cybersecurity incident” since Sunday afternoon. Albert Heijn reported that its store shelves are increasingly stocked, but it won’t be resuming grocery deliveries until at least Sunday.
Duijf, who oversees the police response to cybercrime, said that the police have not launched an investigation because Albert Heijn has not filed a report. He said that the police always urge victims of a cyber incident to file a report, even going so far as to invite the supermarket chain to do so earlier this week, but Albert Heijn has not given heed. “We advise filing as early as possible, as that allows us to actively begin the investigative process,” Duijf said.
Albert Heijn and parent company Ahold Delhaize have very carefully not spoken of any form of cyber attack when reporting on this incident, calling it first an “IT incident” and then a “cybersecurity incident.” Though Ahold Delhaize did report earlier this week that it has no indication that customer data had been stolen. Despite the companies’ tiptoeing around the issue, experts are convinced that this was a hack.
A spokesperson for Albert Heijn told ANP that it has reported the incident to the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC). “Naturally, we are fulfilling our obligations and complying with all applicable laws and regulations.”
“Our focus is on restoring our systems and services carefully and securely,” the spokesperson said. “We cannot provide any statement regarding further details of the investigation at this time.”
The incident on Sunday prompted Ahold Delhaize to shut down several systems, including those that allow online shopping and deliveries, and those managing the loyalty program and Albert Heijn’s BONUS card. The incident also affected the distribution centers, resulting in empty shelves on several days this week.
Albert Heijn got its distribution centers back up and running and started restocking stores with shelf-stable products on Wednesday. Fresh products followed on Thursday. “Our stores are being fully restocked, ensuring well-stocked shelves across the country,” Albert Heijn said on Thursday evening.
But it had already lost quite a bit of business to competitors. Jumbo, Lidl, Picnic, ALDI, and PLUS all reported experiencingbusier stores and more online orders due to Albert Heijn’s woes. Experts estimate that this outage will cost the supermarket chain over €10 million in damages.
Etos and Gall & Gall are also affected.
