Ahold has recently made a number of important changes to its corporate and operating company leadership. John Rishton, CEO of the Dutch retail giant, has reshuffled his management amid the company's continuing quest to overhaul its business in the US.

Lawrence Benjamin, Chief Operating Officer Ahold USA, has been nominated by the Supervisory Board for appointment to the Ahold Corporate Executive Board. His appointment will be proposed at the next General Meeting of Shareholders.

Carl Schlicker, current President and CEO of Giant-Carlisle, has been appointed President and CEO of Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover, succeeding José Alvarez.

Sander van der Laan, current Executive Vice President Marketing and Merchandising for Albert Heijn, has been appointed President and CEO of Giant-Carlisle, succeeding Schlicker.

"I am very pleased to announce these changes," said Rishton. "These appointments will help accelerate the transfer of knowledge across our businesses. We have chosen to make these changes as the Value Improvement Program expands beyond price repositioning. At Ahold, our global strategic focus continues to be the transformation of all of our banners into powerful consumer brands."

The Netherlands-based group insists its plans to revitalise chains including Stop & Shop and Giant-Carlisle are on-track but some industry watchers are questioning whether the business can thrive as competition heats up across the Atlantic.

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