AHOLD SALES INCREASE 4.7% AT U.S. OPERATIONS IN 1993

ZAANDAM, Netherlands -- Ahold here said sales at its U.S. operations increased 4.7% in fiscal 1993 to $6.6 billion.

end totals to compare on a 52-week basis, Ahold said the sales increase in 1993 would have been 6.8% for its U.S. operations.

Ahold did not release year-end earnings or operating results for its five U.S. regional supermarket chains. The company said it expects to announce those results March 17.

In the United States Ahold operates: Bi-Lo, Mauldin, S.C.; Giant Food Stores, Carlisle, Pa.; Edwards Food Stores, Windsor Locks, Conn.; Finast, Maple Heights, Ohio, and Tops Markets, Buffalo, N.Y.

For its overall operations, Ahold reported consolidated sales of $13.9 billion (27.1 billion guilders at the exchange rate of 1.95 guilders per $1). This marked an increase of 25.5% compared with fiscal 1992, Ahold said.

On a 52-week, year-to-year comparison, Ahold said the sales increase would have been 28% in 1993. The higher average exchange rate of the U.S. dollar had a positive effect on sales of 3.1%, the company said.

In the Netherlands, sales rose 30.8% to about $6.9 billion last year, compared with $5.6 billion in 1992. After adjusting for the extra week in 1992, Ahold said the sales increase last year would have been 33.5%.

Sales in other parts of Europe totaled $719 million, compared with about $103 million in 1992. Ahold attributed the large increase to its activities and expansion in Portugal.

Separately, Ahold said it has acquired 11 supermarket outlets via a privatization project in North Moravia, Czech Republic.