ZAANDAM, Netherlands — Ahold Delhaize recently announced the creation of Ahold Delhaize USA.

Effective January 1, Ahold Delhaize USA will be the parent company for all of Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, the company said, including its local brands, Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Giant, Hannaford, Giant/Martin’s and Peapod, as well as Retail Business Services (RBS), a U.S. shared services company providing support to the brands.

The company also announced that Kevin Holt will become the new entity’s chief executive officer on January 1. Holt is currently chief operating officer of Ahold USA. In Holt’s new role he will remain a member of Ahold Delhaize’s management board and executive committee and will continue to report to Ahold Delhaize CEO Dick Boer. Frans Muller, who is deputy CEO and chief integration officer of Ahold Delhaize and serves as interim acting chief operating officer of Delhaize America, will focus on the continued smooth integration of Ahold Delhaize, the company noted.

“Combining the parent companies of the U.S. brands and RBS is the natural next step in our brand-centric strategy in the U.S.” Boer said. “Kevin is an outstanding leader with extensive food retail experience and a great choice to guide our U.S. businesses through this time of continuing change and evolving customer expectations.”

Holt joined Delhaize Group in 2014 as CEO of Delhaize America and transitioned to COO of Ahold USA in 2017.

“I’m excited that we are moving into this next phase, where we can focus on further strengthening our brands and winning in our markets,” said Holt. “Ahold Delhaize USA and its U.S. brands are well positioned to continue to drive growth and innovation and meet the evolving needs of customers, both in stores and ­online.”

The creation of Ahold Delhaize USA and the appointment of Holt to lead it are the latest developments in the implementation of Ahold Delhaize’s Better Together strategy, which was announced last December.

Ahold and Delhaize completed their merger in July 2016. Synergy savings were an important part of the equation, and the company has said it expects to produce 750 million euros in synergies by 2019, 250 million euros of which will be reinvested in the retailer’s brands, which in the U.S. include Stop & Shop, Giant, Martin’s Food Markets, Food Lion, Hannaford and Peapod. Headquarters operations in Belgium and the Netherlands have already been combined, as has the support organization in Europe.