Ahold Delhaize

Two groups representing women executives recognized this week the progress made by the grocery industry in the area of workplace diversity.

Despite an inhospitable economic environment and considerable price investments primarily at the Food Lion chain that contributed to a 0.4 percent decline in its U.S. revenues, Delhaize Group president and CEO Pierre-Olivier Beckers declared that the Brussels-based retail conglomerate was “pleased” with its first-quarter results.

Delhaize America will receive the Outstanding Champion award from the Network of Executive Women, the consumer products and retail industry’s largest diversity organization.

Food Lion yesterday introduced an advertising campaign emphasizing the fact that the banner has slashed prices on thousands of items its customers purchase most frequently.

At Ahold’s annual general meeting of shareholders yesterday in Amsterdam, CEO John Rishton discussed what he proudly termed the retail conglomerate’s “solid results in absolute terms and excellent results in relative terms” over the past year, adding, “Overall, I am pleased with our performance.”

Hannaford Brothers has received the Gold Award from the Information Integrity Coalition (IIC), a Naperville, Ill.-based not-for-profit organization promoting information integrity, or accuracy, consistency and reliability of information content, and associated processes, systems and environment, for the grocer’s Systems Enhancement for Global Access (SEGA) program.

Food Lion banners and Bottom Dollar Food have honored Emory Turner with their 2009 Store Manager Excellence Award.

Internet grocer Peapod has joined forces with Chicago-based sustainable communities group Neighbor Capital and food desert researcher Mari Gallagher to look at ways to expand delivery to communities where a dearth of full-service grocery stores makes it difficult to obtain quality fresh food.