New findings from analytics firm Placer.ai released in its 2023 end-of-year recap report have named Kroger as the most popular grocery banner in the country in terms of foot traffic.
The Placer.ai report, which chronicles store popularity, customer demographics, market share, and a number of additional data points, found Kroger captured 18.8% of the annual foot traffic to the top 10 most frequented supermarket chains in the country.
Kroger and its various banners were reported to be the most popular grocers in 14 states in 2023. Albertsons and its various banners captured nine states, while Ahold Dehaize banners were preferred in seven states.
The second highest in foot traffic according to the report was Publix, which attracted 17% of all shoppers to its stores, and Albertsons banner Safeway with 10.5% was third. Aldi, which has rapidly expanded over the last 12 months and is in the process of purchasing 400 Winn-Dixie and Harvey Supermarket stores, was the fourth most-visited store in 2023 with 9.4% of all foot traffic.
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.
Texas-based H-E-B captured 8.7% of shoppers, midwestern Meijer (7.7%), and both Food Lion (7.5%) and ShopRite (5.7%) on the East Coast, also seized a substantial market share in 2023.
The report also examined the type of customers who visited the stores. Shoppers at brick-and-mortar grocery stores for instance, tended to be from more affluent households. Trader Joe’s shoppers were found to have one of the highest median incomes reported by Placer.ai at $97,500. That’s compared to the nationwide median of $69,500.
ShopRite customers had a median income of $87,500, while Safeway customers were reported at $85,500, H-E-B customers at $68,000, Kroger customers at $67,300, and Aldi customers at $67,200. The average household income for supermarket shoppers declined in 2023 to $73,800 from $74,100 in 2022 and $76,200 in 2019 according to the report.