Zaandam, the Netherlands – Customers shopping online at Dutch-based retailer Albert Heijn can now take their pick of some 20,000 items - almost the same assortment offered by Albert Heijn’s XL format. The online offering has been expanded with a large number of products in existing categories, while new product groups include ready meals and non-food items such as stationery and cooking utensils.
Albert Heijn offers a range of options for its customers to do their shopping: at one of its stores, online ordering plus home delivery, or collection at an Albert Heijn pick-up point. Until recently, its online offering comprised some 9,000 items. This has now risen to over 20,000, making online shopping at Albert Heijn even easier: customers have access to virtually the entire Albert Heijn XL assortment via ah.nl.
New products
From today, customers have access to the widest range of groceries Albert Heijn has to offer in virtually all of its product categories: everything for a well-stocked larder, such as soups, pasta, rice and spices, as well as any type of soft drinks, beers, wines and dairy products. Other product categories have also been significantly increased: fish, meat, vegetarian and cheese. And Albert Heijn’s online store has added products that it hadn’t been selling electronically until now, such as stationery, pantyhose, underwear, candles and napkins.
Home Shopping Center
In preparation for its online assortment expansion, Albert Heijn opened a new Home Shopping Center in the Dutch city of Almere in fall 2012, to serve as the nationwide distribution center for all online orders from today. Albert Heijn also has two regional Home Shopping Centers: one in Rotterdam and one in De Meern.
Broadening online services
At the end of 2012, Ahold published its online growth strategy, which includes broadening its online service offering to customers. Expanding the Albert Heijn online range is an important step in achieving this ambition.