In its range and quality of products, AH is situated closest to Delhaize. But price-wise – due to a price war started by AH years ago – all supermarket prices north of the border are lower than in Belgium. Nevertheless, AH saw profits rise in the first quarter of this year by 46% to €274 million, on sales of €8.74 billion.

AH could be expected to make a bid for market share here by an immediate low-pricing blitz. By contrast, supermarkets here have only recently started driving down prices.

“Maybe we’ll do things differently in Belgium than we did in the Netherlands,” said AH spokesman Jochem Van de Laarschot. “Looking at what the customer wants and then giving it to them is our strong point.”

AH refuses to say where the launch would take place. Some retail experts predict it will be the Kempen region of Antwerp and Limburg provinces, as the area already has a sizeable population of Dutch people. There is also an AH distribution centre in nearby Tilburg.