Dutch food group Ahold, which operates the Netherlands' biggest supermarket chain Albert Heijn, is in talks with British private equity firm CVC Capital Partners about divesting its majority stake in Dutch supermarket group Schuitema.

Ahold, which has a 73% stake in Schuitema, said consideration for the transaction would include cash and the transfer of more than fifty stores from Schuitema to Ahold. Schuitema, which operates the Dutch supermarket chain C1000, said in a separate statement fewer than 75 stores would be transferred to Ahold if a deal were reached.

Ahold, the seventh-biggest supermarket group in the world by sales, would change the Schuitema stores to Albert Heijn stores and the deal is part of Albert Heijn's growth strategy, an Ahold spokeswoman stated.