Albert Heijn

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Albert Heijn supermarket in Amsterdam

Albert Heijn B.V. is a supermarket chain founded in 1887 in Oostzaan, the Netherlands. It is named after Albert Heijn senior, the founder of the first store which was a small grocery store in Oostzaan.

It is the oldest part of Ahold. It still has the largest market share in the Netherlands. Albert Heijn stores are full service-supermarkets (i.e. not discounters) and are known for their focus on quality (in stores and products). This of course comes at a higher price so Albert Heijn is also known for being relatively expensive.

Marcia Hines jokingly referred to herself as "Marcia Heijns" recently on a television appearance in Australia when asked about her trip to Holland.

Formulas:

700 regular Albert Heijn stores, in categories 1 (small) to 5 ( very large); often open until 20:00, some until 22:00.
Albert Heijn To Go (convenience stores located in high commuter traffic places, including many train stations, offering ready-to-eat products); usually their shopping hours are longer, sometimes going so far as to stay open 24/7, and because of this prices to most products are higher than in regular Albert Heijns.
Albert Heijn XL (extra large stores which are located in Alkmaar, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Hoofddorp, Leeuwarden, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Purmerend, Den Haag, Rijswijk, Tilburg and Vlissingen)
Albert (web-based home delivery service offering all Albert Heijn products and those of other Ahold companies like Gall & Gall, Etos and Deli XL)

In the Danny Wallace book, Yes Man, Danny falls for an internet scam which tells him to meet Albert Heijn in Amsterdam, but he eventually realises it is a supermarket.