Supermarket group Ahold first-quarter sales marginally beat estimates

(Reuters) - Dutch supermarket group Ahold Delhaize reported slightly higher-than-expected first-quarter sales on Wednesday, mainly supported by strong performance in both the U.S. and Europe, and the consolidation of its recently acquired firm Profi. The group's revenue for the three months through March 31 was 23.3 billion euros ($26.46 billion), while analysts in a company-compiled poll had estimated it to be 23 billion euros.

In the U.S., where Ahold Delhaize generates more than half of its revenue, sales came in at 13.9 billion euros, above the 13.8 billion euros expected by analysts, driven by growth in online and pharmacy sales.

The group, which operates the Stop & Shop, Giant, Food Lion and Hannaford chains in the U.S. and the Albert Heijn and Delhaize chains in the Netherlands and Belgium, confirmed its outlook for 2025, while warning of a potential impact on earnings per share due to currency translation.

($1 = 0.8807 euros)

(Reporting by Alban Kacher and Hugo Lhomedet; Editing by Rashmi Aich)