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Annual Review   


Activity Report of the Board in 2005

In 2005, the Board of Directors met seven times. All directors were present at all meetings of the Board with the following exceptions: Mr. Philippe Stroobant (whose mandate expired on May 26, 2005) was excused and represented by another director at three meetings of the Board while Dr. William Roper was excused and represented by another director at one meeting of the Board.



In 2005, the Board’s activities included, among others:

  • Two-day annual strategic session on key strategic issues and related follow-up discussions
  • Approval of the annual budget and the three-year financial plan
  • Regular business reviews • Review of forecasts
  • Review and approval of quarterly and annual financial statements
  • Adoption of the annual accounts including proposed allocation of profits and dividend proposal, the consolidated financial statements, the Management’s Report on the annual accounts and the consolidated financial statements and the annual report
  • Approval of sales and earnings press releases
  • Review and approval of possible acquisitions and divestitures
  • Review and update on treasury matters
  • Reports of Committee chairmen and decisions on Committee recommendations
  • Call and adoption of the agendas of the Extraordinary and Ordinary General Meetings
  • Assessment and determination of the independence of directors under Belgian and U.S. rules and decision on directors to be proposed as independent at the Ordinary General Meeting
  • Indemnification of directors • Adoption of the Company’s Corporate Governance Charter
  • Review of the Chief Executive Officer report on Executive Succession Planning
  • Review and approval of the Chief Executive Officer and other senior executive compensation in accordance with the Remuneration Policy
  • The granting of stock options issued under the form of warrants
  • Self-assessment

Activity Report of the Audit Committee in 2005


The activities of the Audit Committee in 2005 included, among others:

  • Review of sales and earnings press releases
  • Review the effect of regulatory and accounting initiatives and off-balance sheet structures on the financial statements
  • Review changes, if any, in accounting principles and valuation rules
  • Review final IFRS conversion issues and the presentation of the draft 2003/2004 IFRS financial statements
  • Review the annual report on Form 20F
  • Review of the Internal Audit Plan
  • Review the management’s representation letter, significant management letter observations and management’s responses
  • Review the Audit Committee Charter Required Actions Checklist
  • Review and approve the policy on complaints (SOX 301 Reports Policy/Sentinel Hotline)
  • Review the tax update, the risk management report, the General Counsel reports, the business continuity and disaster recovery plan and organize a fraud awareness training session
  • Review and evaluate the lead partner of the independent auditor
  • Hold separate closed sessions with the independent auditor and with the Vice President of Internal Audit
  • Review and approve the Policy for Audit Committee Approval of Independent Auditor Services
  • Review required communications from the independent auditor
  • Review and approve the Statutory Auditor’s proposal for 2005-2007
  • Self-Assessment

Activity Report of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee in 2005


The activities of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and its predecessor committees in 2005 included, among others:

  • Search and select candidates to serve on the Board
  • Determine the composition of Senior Management (as defined in the Company’s Remuneration Policy) whose compensation is individually reviewed by the Board
  • Review and recommend the approval of the Chief Executive Officer’s employment contract
  • Review the compensation consultant report and the benchmarking data for compensation of Senior Management
  • Review Senior Management compensation individually and variable remuneration for other levels of management in the aggregate
  • Review and recommend the approval of the Special Report of the Board with respect to warrants issued in the context of the Delhaize Group 2002 Stock Incentive Plan and the prospectus with respect to the 2005 Stock Option Plan for Non-U.S. Optionees
  • Recommendations on Committee structure and composition of the Board Committees
  • Recommendation of new Board members
  • Review of director search
  • Schedule annual meetings of non-executive directors without management
  • Review of the Corporate Governance section of the 2004 financial report

Executive Management Compensation for 2005


For the year 2005, the aggregate amount of compensation, including contributions to the pension plans, but excluding employer social security contributions and expense for share-based compensation, expensed by Delhaize Group and its subsidiaries for the Executive Management as a group for services was EUR 8.8 million compared to EUR 10.0 million in 2004. Employer social security contributions and share-based compensation expense for the Executive Management in the aggregate are disclosed in the 2005 annual report. An aggregate number of 112,749 Delhaize Group stock options/warrants and 39,548 restricted stock unit awards were granted to the Executive Management in 2005. No loans or guarantees have been extended by Delhaize Group to Executive Managers.

In line with the recommendation of the Corporate Governance Code, the compensation and benefits granted by Delhaize Group and its subsidiaries individually to Mr. Pierre-Olivier Beckers, President and Chief Executive Officer, and in the aggregate to the nine other Executive Managers is set out in the 2005 annual report.

The Executive Managers also participate in the equity-linked component of the Company’s long-term incentive program. The aggregate number of Delhaize Group shares, stock options or other rights to acquire Delhaize Group shares, granted by the Company and its subsidiaries during 2005 to the CEO and other Executive Managers is set out individually in the 2005 annual report.

Ordinary General Meeting of May 2006, 2005



The Ordinary General Meeting is held annually at the call of the Board of Directors. The Ordinary General Meeting of 2005 was held on May 26, 2005. The Company’s management presented the Management Report, the consolidated annual accounts and the corporate governance measures of the Company. The General Meeting then approved the annual accounts of fiscal year 2004 and discharged the Company’s directors and the Statutory Auditor of liability for their mandate during 2004. The Ordinary General Meeting decided to renew the director’s mandate of Count Arnoud de Pret Roose de Calesberg and elected Baron Vansteenkiste, Mr. Jacques de Vaucleroy and Mr. Hugh Farrington as director and appointed all of them as independent director under the Belgian Company Code. The Ordinary General Meeting renewed the mandate of the Statutory Auditor for a period of three years and approved a stock option plan to be launched in 2005 with respect to equity awards that could be granted to Executive Management.



Extraordinary General Meetings of April 29, 2005 and May 26, 2005


The Board called an Extraordinary General Meeting on April 29, 2005. However, since the required quorum was not achieved, no decisions were taken during that meeting and a second Extraordinary General Meeting was called with the same agenda on May 26, 2005. The Extraordinary General Meeting of May 26, 2005 renewed the powers of the Board with respect to the authorized capital in case of a public take-over bid, and with respect to the purchase and transfer of own shares.



External Audit


Renewal of the Statutory Auditor’s Mandate


At the Ordinary General Meeting of May 26, 2005, the mandate of Deloitte (formerly known as “Deloitte & Touche”), as Statutory Auditor was renewed for a term of three years, until the Ordinary General Meeting that will be requested to approve the annual accounts relating to the fiscal year 2007. In order to comply with applicable rules on the rotation of the lead partners, the Ordinary General Meeting of May 26, 2005 replaced the lead partner representing the Statutory Auditor, Mr. James Fulton, with Mr. Philip Maeyaert.



Certification of Accounts 2004


In 2005, the Statutory Auditor certified that the statutory annual accounts and the consolidated annual accounts of the Company prepared in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements applicable in Belgium, for the year ended December 31, 2004 give a true and fair view of its assets, financial situation and results of operations. The Audit Committee examined and discussed the Statutory Auditor’s findings on these accounts with the Statutory Auditor.



Statutory Auditor’s Fees for Services related to 2005


The following table sets forth the fees of the Statutory Auditor and its associated companies relating to the services with respect to fiscal year 2005 to Delhaize Group SA and its subsidiaries. In 2005, the fees of the Statutory Auditor have been influenced significantly by two legally required projects. First, in compliance with European Union legislation, Delhaize Group is required to report its financial results under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) beginning in 2005. Secondly, as a foreign company filing in the U.S., Delhaize Group will be required to meet the certification requirements on the quality and effectiveness of its internal controls for its 2006 year-end report, as set out in Section 404 of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Both projects count for a large part of the Statutory Auditor’s fees for the “Statutory audit of Delhaize Group SA”, the “Statutory audit subsidiaries of Delhaize Group“, the “Legal audit of the consolidated financial statements” and “Consultation and other non-routine audit services” in 2005. The Audit Committee has monitored the independence of the Statutory Auditor under the Company’s pre-approval policy, setting forth strict procedures for the approval of non-audit services performed by the Statutory Auditor.






 
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