Placer.ai: Fresh, discount grocers saw strong boosts in visits in 2025
Grocery store traffic was up across the board in 2025, but multiple categories outpaced the traditional sector.
Fresh format posted the strongest year-over-year increase in store visits last year, with visits up 7.1%, 9.8%, 10.5% and 10.9% in each quarter, according to a new report from retail analytics firm Placer.ai. Discount retailers and wholesale clubs also outperformed the traditional grocery sector, which saw an annual foot traffic increase of 2%.
“Fresh format grocers posted the strongest year-over-year visit growth, perhaps due to their selection of prepared foods and salad bars as an alternative to eating out, as well as their emphasis on health and wellness – an emerging priority among grocery shoppers,” said Ezra Carmel, content writer at Placer.ai. “Meanwhile, value grocers and wholesale clubs, known for their ability to deliver savings, consistently outperformed traditional grocers in year-over-year visit growth These patterns indicate that consumers are increasingly weighing up quality and price in the grocery aisle, a trend that is driving the expansion of private label offerings.”
Singles – defined as non-family and one-person households – heavily favored fresh-format grocers, according to Placer.ai, while households with children were most likely to visit wholesale clubs and value grocers.
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Thrift stores, discount retailers, open-air malls lead 2025 holiday season]
“Grocers and CPGs can unlock growth by tailoring assortments and promotional strategies to their target audience – emphasizing bulk value and price-driven messaging for family shoppers, while leaning into curated selection, prepared foods and convenience to engage singles,” said Carmel.
Placer.ai says that like in past years, Turkey Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) was by far the busiest grocery shopping day of the year, with category visits up 80.5% compared to the 2025 daily average. Several of the year’s other busiest grocery days similarly fell immediately ahead of major holidays, including New Year’s Eve, Easter, Mother’s Day and the 4th of July, as consumers stocked up ahead of gatherings.
Leading up to Christmas, grocery shopping appeared to be spread across several high-traffic days rather than concentrated on a single peak, according to Placer.ai’s data. Christmas Eve and Dec. 23 had nearly identical foot traffic boosts of 57.9% and 58.0%, respectively. Dec. 22 also stood out as one of the year’s busiest grocery shopping days, with visits reaching 28.9% above the average for 2025.
