Ahold to open stores here

Ahold to open stores here

AMSTERDAM (Reuter): Ahold President Cees van der Hoeven was
upbeat yesterday about the Dutch food group's interests in the
Far East and outlined plans to open stores in Indonesia and
Shanghai later this year.

"We are planning to open a pilot store in Indonesia later on
this year, possibly in September," he told a press conference
shortly before the group's annual shareholder meeting.

Ahold entered an agreement with Indonesian property developer
PSP last October with the purpose of setting up a modern
supermarket chain across Indonesia.

Van der Hoeven added the Dutch food giant hoped to open its
first store in Shanghai by the end of 1996 or early 1997, in a
joint operation with a local partner.

He added negotiations with local operators were ongoing in
Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, where the group will
concentrate on the supermarket formula. He declined to name any
specific potential partners.