Ahold

CARLISLE, Pa. — Martin's Food Markets donated more than $2.2 million in the Richmond and Williamsburg, Va., areas in 2012 as part of its "Living Here, Giving Here" charitable program, the supermarket chain said.

Martin's, part of Ahold USA's Giant-Carlisle chain, said the donations broke a record. The money will go to hunger-relief, animal welfare and poverty relief groups, schools, the United Way, USO of Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia and others.

Google is offering a service called Google Shopping Express, which would offer same-day delivery from brick-and-mortar stores in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Internet giant's employees. Target and several other retailers have been named as possible partners.

AMSTERDAM — Royal Ahold expects its deal to sell its share of the European supermarket chain ICA to Hakon Invest to be completed next Wednesday, the Dutch supermarket operator said Thursday.

Ahold said the conditions for the sale of its 60% stake in ICA to Swedish investor group Hakon Invest had been met.

AMSTERDAM — Dutch supermarket operator Royal Ahold has repurchased nearly 1 million shares as part of its $647.3 million share-buyback program, the company said Monday.

Ahold said the 960,596 shares were repurchased at an average price of $14.91, for a total of $14.33 million.

The company announced the share-buyback program in late February. Ahold operates the Stop & Shop, Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover supermarket banners and the Peapod online grocery service in the United States.

AMSTERDAM — Ahold is buying back about $650 million worth of shares, with plans to finalize the deal within 12 months, the Dutch retail company said Monday.

Ahold — which operates the Stop & Shop, Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover supermarket banners and the Peapod online grocery service in the United States through its Ahold USA subsidiary — said the purpose of the share-buyback program was to return value to shareholders.

AMSTERDAM — Rene Dahan will step down as Royal Ahold's board chairman in October, the Dutch supermarket operator said Wednesday.

Netherlands-based Ahold — which operates the Stop & Shop, Giant-Landover and Giant-Carlisle chains and the Peapod online grocery service in the United States through its Ahold USA subsidiary — said that Dahan would step down after serving on the company's board since 2004. The company plans to propose at its shareholder meeting the appointment of Jan Hommen as Dahan's successor.

LANDOVER, Md. — Supermarket chain Giant Food of Landover, Md., will focus on the employment of transitioning veterans and their family members as it designates March as its Military Appreciation Month, the Ahold USA banner said Friday.

Giant-Landover will work with the USO of Metropolitan Washington and USO Delaware for a third year, sponsoring an in-store giving campaign that will support programs from both across the Mid-Atlantic region.

NEW YORK — Publix may join Royal Ahold later this month in making a bid for the more than 200 Harris Teeter supermarkets, according to a report published Friday by Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the situation. 

Virginia and North Carolina would represent new markets for Publix if the Florida-based grocer acquired Harris Teeter. Publix has already marked North Carolina for expansion with plans to open two stores in the state in 2014.