Ahold under fire for moving brand names like Etos to Switzerland

DutchNews, May 16, 2017

Photo: Ahold

The FNV trade union federation has asked supermarket group Ahold Delhaize to explain why it has shifted ownership of 350 brand names such as Etos to a Swiss subsidiary named Ahold Licensing Sarl. 

The union asked the multinational investigation bureau Somo to look into Ahold Delhaize’s tax strategy and says it suspects the move is due to tax avoidance. 

Swiss corporation tax is much lower than that in the Netherlands and the US, where Ahold Delhaize earns 60% of its turnover. Most of the brands which have been moved to Switzerland are American. 

Ahold told the Volkskrant that the conclusions in the report are ‘up to them’. ‘The report is based on incomplete information and information which has been taken out of context,’ the company said in a statement.