Kroger was most-visited grocer in 2023, followed by...
When it comes to grocery chains in the U.S., Kroger is king.
That’s according to retail data firm Placer.ai’s Grocery Sector in 2023: An End-of-Year Recap report, which found that Kroger and its banner locations captured almost 19% of annual grocery foot traffic last year.
Behind Kroger was Florida-based Publix, which received 17% of total grocery visit share. Safeway (10.5%), Aldi (9.4%) and H-E-B (8.7%) rounded out the top-five grocery retailers.
Walmart Neighborhood Market, Meijer, Food Lion, Trader Joe’s and ShopRite made the top-10 list, which in total made up 42.6% of total grocery visit share in 2023.
Kroger banners were the most popular grocery chain in 14 states last year, with many states favoring regional chains. Albertsons banners took the lead in nine more states, mainly in the Western region of the U.S. Ahold Delhaize banners ranked first in seven Northeast and South Atlantic states, while a variety of more regional chains, such as Meijer, Hy-Vee and Publix held sway throughout much of the Midwest and parts of the South.
Placer.ai’s data shows that visitors to grocery chains last year, compared to other retail channels, tended to come from areas with slightly higher median household incomes (HHIs) than the nationwide average. The median HHI for grocery shoppers was $73,900 compared to the nationwide median of $69,500.
Trader Joe’s had the highest HHI among its shoppers at $97,500, followed by ShopRite at $87,600 and Safeway at $85,500. The leader of the grocery pack, Kroger, had a median HHI of $67,300, just ahead of Aldi at $67,200. Lower-income consumers were more likely to seek out lower-cost grocery alternatives like dollar stores.
“For grocery stores, 2023 was all about value – with many customers flocking to discount chains and going out of their way to maximize savings,” wrote Placer.ai’s Lila Margalit in the report. “Still, traditional mainstays like Kroger and Albertsons continued to capture the biggest pieces of the grocery pie.”