11 grocery stores in NC are among the top in the US, new study says. See which ones
Two popular grocery stores with locations in North Carolina made significant gains in the rankings of the top grocers in the United States.
Lidl and Trader Joe’s are among the top 18 grocers in the U.S., according to the latest Dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index for U.S. Grocery, an annual study that examines the country’s grocery market.
California-based Trader Joe’s has been sliding in the rankings since 2018 but improved its position from No. 15 in 2023 to No. 7 in 2024. The grocery store prioritizes what the study calls a “benefits-first strategy,” offering customers quality, speed and convenience.
Lidl, which opened its first store in Germany in 1973, is in the top quartile of the Retailer Preference Index for the first time, after rising 14 spots to No. 16 this year. The grocer implemented what the study refers to as a “savings-first strategy,” delivering above-average savings but scoring lower in benefits.
While several other companies with locations in North Carolina made the top 18 of the 72-store list, the No. 1 spot went to H-E-B for the third consecutive year. This is the fourth time the Texas-based grocery chain has taken the lead position in the study.
Top NC grocery stores
Here are the top 18 grocery stores in the Retailer Preference Index:
- H-E-B: no change from 2023
- Market Basket: rose two from 2023
- Costco Wholesale: no change from 2023
- WinCo Foods: rose 10 from 2023
- Aldi: rose two from 2023
- Amazon (Amazon Fresh): dropped four from 2023
- Trader Joe’s: rose eight from 2023
- Sam’s Club: dropped three from 2023
- Wegmans: dropped three from 2023
- ShopRite: dropped two from 2023
- Walmart: dropped one from 2023
- Walmart Neighborhood Market: dropped three from 2023
- Publix: dropped two from 2023
- Meijer: rose four from 2023
- BJ’s Wholesale Club: rose two from 2023
- Lidl: rose 14 from 2023
- Kroger: dropped two from 2023
- Hannaford: rose five from 2023
Target had been in the top quartile since 2019, but dropped out of the group in 2024.
How grocery stores were ranked
The Retailer Preference Index, which includes financial analysis and a survey of 11,000 consumers, rates companies based on five “pillars”:
- Price, promotion and rewards: base prices, mass promotions, personalized promotions and loyalty, private brand
- Quality: assortment quality and variety, natural/organic/local/sustainable options, customer service, store cleanliness and ambiance
- Digital: online shopping, shopping app, tech-enabled experiences
- Speed and convenience: speed to shop, speed to checkout, location
- Operations: out-of-stocks, accurate and consistent prices, consistent experience
According to the study, the price, promotion and rewards pillar is most associated with stronger, long-term market success for a given retailer.
A store’s rank indicates “how well a retailer’s customer value proposition is positioned for future, long-term market success.”
“Clients across the grocery retail sector understand that market success is dependent upon saving shoppers money and implementing innovative pricing technologies to maintain their customer base,” Matt O’Grady, Dunnhumby’s president of the Americas, said in a news release.
NC grocers win in different categories
While North Carolina-based grocery companies didn’t place in the top quartile overall, they ranked highly in certain pillars.
- Harris Teeter: No. 8 in operations pillar
- IGA (Carlie C’s): No. 4 in speed and convenience pillar
- Lowes Foods: No. 7 in speed and convenience pillar, No. 10 in quality pillar
- The Fresh Market: No. 4 in Quality pillar
What the rank says about consumer feelings on food prices
The price, promotion and rewards pillar is more important than it has ever been in the model, while the importance of ensuring quality is the least important it has ever been.
This comes as food prices continue to rise in the U.S. According to the Consumer Price Index released Wednesday, Jan. 15, the index for food increased 0.3% in December and 0.4% in November.
Fourteen of the top 18 stores in the Retailer Preference Index scored above average on savings. The News & Observer’s annual price check of Raleigh grocery stores found that several of those grocers, such as Aldi, Lidl and Walmart, offer Triangle shoppers some of the least expensive prices.
The Charlotte Observer’s annual grocery price check had the same findings: Walmart had the lowest prices, followed closely by Lidl and then Aldi.
Multiple retailers at the top of the Dunnhumby ranking have implemented initiatives over the past year to help shoppers save money on essentials, including groceries.
Walmart’s Bettergoods and Amazon Saver, for example, offer hundreds of food items at reduced prices, with most items costing $5 or less, The N&O previously reported.
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM with the headline "11 grocery stores in NC are among the top in the US, new study says. See which ones."
