Short answer
Ahold Delhaize, owner of Stop & Shop, Hannaford, Food Lion, Giant Food and Albert Heijn, took websites and apps offline on October 12, 2026 after what it calls the malicious actions of others. Stores stayed open, and the company says it has no evidence that sensitive data was taken.
If you think your details were included, start with our checklist on what to do after a data breach.
Key facts
| Organization | Ahold Delhaize |
|---|---|
| Incident type | Data breach |
| Status | Under investigation |
| Sector | Retail (supermarkets) |
| Country | Multiple (United States, Netherlands, Belgium) |
| Detected | 2026-10-12 |
| Disclosed | 2026-10-12 |
| People or records affected | No data exposure confirmed. Online shopping at most US and European brands was disrupted, while stores stayed open. |
What data was exposed
- None confirmed. The company says it has no evidence that sensitive customer, associate or partner data was taken, and the investigation is ongoing.
What happened
Ahold Delhaize took its websites and apps offline on October 12, 2026, according to Insurance Journal, as a precaution after suspicious activity on its network. The company later said the activity was caused by the “malicious actions of others.” The Record reported that systems went offline across most of its US and European brands, with online services disrupted in the United States, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Physical stores and pharmacies stayed open, and in-store checkout and refrigeration were not affected, Insurance Journal reported.
What the company has said
Ahold Delhaize told The Record it had no evidence that sensitive customer, employee or partner data was stolen, and that its investigation was ongoing. It has not described the nature of the attack or said whether a ransom was involved, citing the need to protect its security measures. It notified Dutch cybersecurity authorities within 24 hours and filed a police report in the Netherlands. CEO Frans Muller apologized for the disruption and called the shutdown a necessary precaution.
Recovery
Services came back in stages. The Record said Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall sites in the Netherlands were back by October 19 and Belgium’s e-commerce was restored, while Food Lion and Stop & Shop online shopping was expected within days. Insurance Journal reported the US sites were back on October 22 after about eight days offline.
Why customers should still be careful
No exposure has been confirmed, so there is nothing to change on your account because of this attack alone. The practical risk is opportunistic: outages create a stream of real order and refund notices, and scammers copy them. Our guide to online shopping scams and toll and delivery text scams show how fake order texts work, and phishing messages covers lookalike login pages.
An earlier incident
Insurance Journal separately notes a November 2024 ransomware attack on Ahold Delhaize USA Services LLC that compromised the personal and financial information of 2.2 million people. It is a different incident. If you got a letter about it, the advice in our guide to what to do after a data breach still applies. See also our editorial policy.
Scams to watch for after this breach
Criminals use breach news as cover. Expect messages that mention the incident, quote real details, or offer help.
- Fake texts or emails about a cancelled grocery order, refund or delivery that link to a lookalike store site
- Messages claiming your loyalty account or app login was compromised and asking you to reset your password through a link
- Calls posing as the retailer asking for card details to 'fix' an online order
What to do if you are affected
- 01Log in to your store account only by typing the retailer's address or using the official app, never from a link in a message.
- 02Use a unique password for each grocery and loyalty account, and change any password you reuse elsewhere.
- 03Check any recent online orders and card statements for charges you do not recognize.
- 04Treat messages about refunds for cancelled orders as suspect until you confirm them in your account.
- 05If you were affected by the 2024 Ahold Delhaize USA incident, keep watching your credit reports and fraud alerts.
Frequently asked questions
Was my customer data stolen in the Ahold Delhaize cyberattack?
The company said it had no evidence at that point that sensitive customer, associate or partner data was taken. Its investigation was still ongoing, so that could change.
Which brands were affected?
Insurance Journal lists the US brands Stop & Shop, Hannaford, Food Lion and Giant Food. The Record reports disruption to online services in the US, the Netherlands and Belgium, including Albert Heijn.
Were stores open during the outage?
Yes. Both reports say stores stayed open, and Insurance Journal says in-store systems such as checkout and refrigeration were not affected.
Is this related to the French supermarket refrigerator attack?
Insurance Journal reports that Ahold Delhaize said the separate attack on refrigeration at French supermarkets was unrelated.
Is online shopping working again?
According to Insurance Journal, US sites were back on October 22 after about eight days offline. The Record said Albert Heijn and Belgian services were restored earlier in phases.
Sources
- Ahold Delhaize cyberattack hits grocery chains in the US and Europe, The Record from Recorded Future News, 2026-10-19
- Insurance Journal report on the Ahold Delhaize US website outage, Insurance Journal, 2026-10-22
This post summarises public reporting as of 2026-10-30. Details of live incidents change; we update posts when the organization or regulators publish new facts. Spot an error? See our editorial and corrections policy.