NEW YORK — Food and drug retailer Ahold Delhaize plans to implement IRI’s sales and supply chain analytics platform for its Ahold USA and Delhaize America brands.

Under a long-term agreement announced Tuesday, IRI will leverage its IRI Liquid Data platform to provide integrated point-of-sale (POS), frequent shopper program and supply chain data for Delhaize America and POS and supply chain data for Ahold USA.

The companies said the Ahold Delhaize U.S. brands are slated to start transitioning to the IRI platform early next year.

“This is a transformational alliance that will give the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America a more comprehensive understanding of their businesses, improve collaboration with suppliers and provide a holistic view of the customer,” JJ Fleeman, chief strategy and development officer for Delhaize America, said in a statement. “The brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America look forward to leveraging this partnership to grow through more effective and efficient business operations and more personalized consumer impacts.”

IRI Liquid Data stands to bring Ahold USA and Delhaize America brands and their suppliers simplified access to consumer insights and analytics for better and faster business decisions; improved targeting capabilities to reach customers; and more effective marketing campaigns to drive return on investment, the companies said.

In addition, IRI Unify visualization capabilities are expected to provide a more personalized view of data on an interactive dashboard with advanced rendering, display and analytics features. That will enable brand teams and users to more easily access insights and integrate disparate data sources for real-time, actionable insights.

“We are thrilled to add the respected brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America to our growing list of retail partners, so that we can help them realize the full value of their data,” commented Andrew Appel, president and chief executive officer of IRI. “The brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America have an impressive footprint in key markets up and down the U.S. East Coast, and their decision to partner with IRI underscores the strength of our offerings and team, and our unmatched ability to help retailers grow and collaborate with their suppliers.

“This partnership will arm their key supplier decision-makers with access to innovative and business-critical shopper and market insights, translating into better category management, a better experience for customers and better returns for the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America,” according to Appel.

The U.S. operations of Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize include Delhaize America’s Food Lion and Hannaford supermarket chains and Ahold USA’s Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets grocery chains, as well as its Peapod online grocery delivery service. Overall, the company has almost 2,000 stores in the United States, including more than 700 pharmacies.

“This partnership builds on the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America’s commitments to big data and technology to drive consumer-centric collaboration and growth,” stated Nick Bertram, senior vice president of merchandising for Ahold USA. “More than ever, winning with customers requires the right combination of strategy, tools, talent and data technology, and the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America are pleased to partner with an industry leader with a proven track record in helping retailers find new avenues of growth.”