Belgian retail group Ahold Delhaize, which operates Romanian retail chain Mega Image, announced it is opening a technology hub in Bucharest, where it plans to hire 250 experts to develop applications for all the group’s brands in Europe.

“This technology hub will bring together the best IT&C specialists to develop innovations that serve consumers of today and tomorrow, for all our European brands. Thus, we chose to further invest in the Romanian market, where we already have a solid presence through the brand our local, Mega Image,” said Wouter Kolk, CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia.

The first employees are already joining the local team and, according to the plan, the team will expand to 250 professionals in the coming years. The recruitment processes focus on the Romanian market.

Named AD/01, the technology hub will play a key role in strengthening the Ahold Delhaize group as part of the digital, data and technology ecosystem. 

The teams in the new technology hub will be involved in a wide range of projects, from web and application development, to support and initiation of strategic projects in eCommerce, Infra, Data, Loyalty, Cora Retail and other areas.

Ahold Delhaize said on October 30 that it agreed to acquire Romanian grocery retailer Profi Rom Food SRL (Profi) from MidEuropa.

The company agreed to pay an enterprise value of approximately €1.3bn, corresponding to a lease-adjusted enterprise value of €1.8bn. The deal, subject to approval from the regulatory authorities, will more than double the size of Ahold Delhaize’s existing Romanian business, which operates under the Mega Image brand and has 969 stores, predominantly in urban areas. Closing is expected in 2024.