BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- (Marketwire) -- 10/29/09 --
BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 29, 2009 - For many years, the « Institut
Belge des Réviseurs d'Entreprise » (The Belgian Institute of Company
Auditors) has been promoting the reporting and transparency of
corporate responsibility in companies. Today, it has awarded its
annual price for the best report on sustainable development. This
year, Delhaize Group, the Belgian international food retailer
(Euronext Brussels: DELB - NYSE: DEG), wins the prize for its
"Corporate Responsibility Report 2008".
The history of corporate responsibility at Delhaize started more than
100 years ago to eventually become one of the three key pillars of
its strategy. Since 2007, Delhaize Group also publishes an annual
report dedicated to corporate responsibility.
Pierre-Olivier Beckers, President and Chief Executive Officer
Delhaize Group said: "Throughout their history, our different
operating companies have spontaneously developed a large number of
initiatives related to corporate responsibility. This demonstrates
that corporate responsibility is a part of our company's culture.
Delhaize Belgium being in the top 10 of green energy consumers in
Europe and the first in Belgium, or being pioneers in the United
States by launching the nutritional information program called
"Guiding Stars", are some of the examples. The corporate
responsibility strategy recently developed at the Group level in a
coherent way enables us to share our collective expertise and
concentrate our energy on well chosen and measurable objectives. We
are happy that the report which communicates our results has caught
the attention of the jury."
Sustainable development is present in many different areas
particularly in the food retail sector. Delhaize Group has chosen
three key pillars to focus on; Products: healthier products, People:
healthier people and Planet: a healthier planet, in the spirit of the
title of the report: "a healthy approach to life". The report
particularly focuses on the five areas selected by Delhaize Group as
a basis of its corporate responsibility strategy. These five areas
are: food safety, health and wellness, associate development, energy
conservation, responsible sourcing. The report has been used as
support for internal and external communication in order to raise the
awareness of our associates and our customers. It provides concrete
examples and numerical results making it possible to evaluate the
progress that has been made so far. Delhaize Group is conscious of
the fact that there are still many more challenges, and the prize the
Group receives today is a great encouragement to continue its
efforts.
The « Corporate Responsibility Report 2008 » can be downloaded from
the site www.delhaizegroup.com
» Delhaize Group
Delhaize Group is a Belgian international food retailer present in
six countries on three continents. As of June 30, 2009, Delhaize
Group's sales network consisted of 2 684 stores. In 2008, Delhaize
Group posted EUR 19 billion (USD 28 billion) in revenues and EUR 467
million (USD 687 million) in net profit (Group share). At the end of
2008, Delhaize Group employed approximately 141 000 people. Delhaize
Group's stock is listed on Euronext Brussels (DELB) and the New York
Stock Exchange (DEG).
This press release is available in English, French and Dutch. You can
also find it on the website http://www.delhaizegroup.com. Questions
can be sent to calexandre@delhaizegroup.com.
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