Placer.ai: Grocery sector visits continue to rise in Q2
Grocers had a strong second quarter in terms of store visits, with the fresh format category in particular seeing strong gains.
Foot traffic across all four major grocery store categories (value grocers, fresh format, traditional grocery and ethnic grocers) was up year over year in the second quarter of 2025 as shoppers continued to shop a wide range of formats, according to a white paper from retail traffic firm Placer.ai.
Fresh format stores saw the biggest increase at 10% year over year, driven by affluent shoppers and an interest in health and wellness. The increase was up from a 7.2% annual increase in visits in the first quarter.
Traditional grocery posted its first annual traffic increase since the first quarter of 2024, while ethnic grocers maintained their steady pattern of modest but consistent gains.
In the first half of 2025, the traditional grocery sector made up the vast majority (73.3%) of grocery visits, with discount (16.5%) and fresh (7.2%) next in line. Notably, the fresh category has the highest median household income of the categories, exceeding $106K in the first half of the year.
“This segment, anchored by players like Sprouts, appeals to the highest-income households of the four categories, signaling a growing influence of affluent shoppers on the competitive grocery landscape,” noted Placer.ai. “Despite accounting for just 7.0% of total grocery visits in the first half of 2025, the segment’s rapid gains point to a broader shift: premium brands emphasizing health and wellness are emerging as the primary engine of growth in the grocery sector.”
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Consumers continued to flock to off-price chains in Q2]
Value grocers, which dominated growth through most of 2024 as shoppers prioritized affordability, continued to expand in the second quarter, but have now ceded leadership to fresh-format grocers. Placer.ai says that much of the “trade-down” movement has already occurred, and although price sensitivity is still driving shoppers’ decisions, growth for the category has slowed.
Consistent with past data, short grocery trips (under 10 minutes) have grown far more quickly than longer visits. While they still make up less than one-quarter of all U.S. grocery trips, their steady expansion suggests this behavioral shift is here to stay and that its full impact on the industry has yet to be realized, according to Placer.ai.
Traditional grocers such as Winco (32 minutes), Meijer (30.2 minutes) and H-E-B (26.3 minutes) see the longest dwell times, while the fresh category sees the shortest dwell times.
