America’s Most Popular Supermarkets

Published: February 8, 2024 by Colman Andrews

According to the multi-industry research firm IBISWorld, there were some 63,385 supermarkets and grocery stores across the U.S. as of October 2023. If you reside in urban or suburban America (and unless you live in one of the so-called food deserts, where social economic and factors have resulted in a lamentable lack of food shopping opportunities), you’re probably not more than a mile or two from at least one market, and probably more.

While there are numerous independent grocery stores and small regional chains around the country, a small number of companies own the vast majority of the markets you’re probably near, either under their own name or under various “banners” — as the supermarket world calls store names.

To assemble a list of the most popular of these, based on their share of foot traffic or customer visits, 24/7 Tempo reviewed “The Grocery Sector in 2023: An End-of-Year Recap,” published in late January by the data and analytics firm Placer.ai.

Tracking annual food traffic for individual banners — not for the total number of banners under one corporate umbrella — Placer.ai determined that the most popular supermarket chain by visit share was Kroger, which serves areas including Michigan and the mid-Atlantic as well as Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Louisville, and Nashville. (Among Kroger’s other banners, not included in the computation, are Ralph’s, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, and Smiths.)

Second place goes to Publix, the nation’s largest employee-owned company of any kind, whose stores stretch from Kentucky and Virginia down into Florida. No. 3 is Safeway, owned by another multi-banner giant, Albertsons (Vons, Shaw’s, Acme, and Pavilions are among its other brands).

“But significantly,” notes Placer.ai, “several regional chains also garnered significant nationwide visit share — including Texas cult-favorite H-E-B, Midwestern Meijer, and East Coast Food Lion and ShopRite.”

The takeaway, adds the site, is that while customers flocked to discount chains (like Aldi and Trader Joe’s), “traditional mainstays like Kroger and Albertsons continued to capture the biggest pieces of the grocery pie.” (These are the biggest grocery store chains in North America.)

Here is the ranking of America’s most popular supermarkets: