Best Buy, Whole Foods Market top COVID-19 store safety measures ranking

Best Buy and Whole Foods Market were the big winners in Ipsos’ Health and Safety Best Brand Awards, based on the results of its third “Consumer Health & Safety Index,” an in-store benchmarking study that assesses how retailers are operating more than a year into the pandemic. 

In spring 2021, Ipsos surveyed 2,000 Americans to understand which health and safety attributes are most important to consumers in the current COVID-19 retail environment. Ipsos then conducted mystery shops to measure brand compliance on health and safety attributes across more than 25 brands in four key industries, including big-box stores and supermarkets.

Best Buy retained its spot as the top performer in the big-box industry, winning the Best in Industry. The consumer electronics retailer also led the big-box sector across several categories, including social distancing measures, sanitizer offerings and employees wearing masks and gloves. 

Target showed improvement in its focus on health and safety, ranking second in the big-box industry and winning the Best in Category award for cleanliness. Costco Wholesale Corp. came in at No. 3, and won the Best in Category award for restrooms and barriers to enforce distancing.

Whole Foods and Food Lion led the grocery industry, with Whole Foods retaining its No. 1 spot from previous Ipsos studies and winning the Best in Industry. Food Lion ranked No. 3 in the sector but emerged as a Best in Category winner for the presence of sanitizers at various points in stores, including at entrances, checkouts and in restrooms. (Aldi was ranked No. 2 in the grocery sector.)

In addition to winning Industry and Category awards, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Target, and Costco emerged as the Best Overall Brand award winners.