It might be challenging to build a list of the finest grocery stores in the United States, or anywhere else on the planet. Why? Because, despite their numerous similarities, many of us are unaware that the vast majority of our “grocery stores” are, in fact, supermarkets.
As a result, we feel that the first step in attempting to create a list like this is to grasp and comprehend the major differences between these two sorts of endeavors.
Many of you may still find this piece of knowledge unusual or unfamiliar, but don’t worry; we’ll dispel all your worries in this post.
Is There Any Difference Between Grocery Stores And Supermarkets?
Despite the striking parallels between these two, the simple response to this question is a resounding “Yes!”
There is a significant difference between a typical grocery shop and a supermarket, and it has nothing to do with the size of the business or the number of locations it operates.
A grocery shop, according to Difference Between Info, is a store that only sells food, but supermarkets are large self-service grocery stores that sell a wide variety of household supplies and foods to clients.
To put it another way, a food store is a miniature supermarket. While grocery stores sell spices and a variety of imported foods from other countries, as well as dry goods and canned goods.
The former sells spices and a variety of imported foods from other nations.
What Are The Top Grocery Stores In The US?
So, now that we’ve established the distinctions between these two businesses, let’s look at the top ten grocery stores in the United States.
This list is based on revenue generated in the previous year, as well as data from Marketwatch, Progressive Grocer, Forbes, and Supermarket News, a leading industry publication (SN). Here are the top 10 grocery stores in the US:
1. Walmart Inc.
Despite the fact that every other business faced significant losses and some had to close totally, Walmart Inc., the American retail behemoth, posted a staggering $341 billion in grocery sales in 2020 alone.
If you think that’s incredible, wait until you hear what’s next. The company operates 4,765 stores and is the largest supermarket chain in 18 states across the country, with the majority of these states being in the central United States.
Walmart’s subsidiary, Sam’s Club, is expected to produce an astonishing $35 billion in grocery sales in 2020, so it’s no wonder that the company is outperforming the competition.
Walmart, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, owns and operates significant grocery, hypermarket, and discount department store chains.
The company was started in 1962 by Sam Walton and officially debuted in 1969. In 2016, it announced that it would be starting a grocery delivery service in cooperation with Sam’s Club.
Walmart now owns every Sam’s Club grocery store in the United States and has expanded its services to over 100 other metropolitan areas.
2. The Kroger Company
Coming in at 2nd place behind Walmart, The Kroger Company also has a dominant presence in the US groceries market with 2,757 stores scattered across the country.
Kroger’s stores are very prominent in 15 West Coast and Midwest states.
With all of the stores operating under the Smith, Harris Teeter, and Kroger labels, this firm made a whopping $122 billion in food sales last year.
In addition, the corporation has 22 subsidiaries, including price-impact warehouse stores, marketplaces, and supermarkets.
3. Costco Wholesale Corporation
Costco is ranked third on this list due to its excellent profit margins from the previous year’s retail sales of $103 billion.
This is no small achievement for a company with only 543 locations around the country, especially when compared to others with considerably more.
Customers must like grocery shopping with this company, which sells both private-label and branded products in their physical locations as well as online.
Customers at Costco can choose from a large variety of fruit, bulk goods, and fresh meat, all of which are kept hygienically in huge warehouse shops around the country.
Optical services, a consumer favorite, are among the other services it offers.
4. Albertsons
Albertsons Companies Inc., a holding company for two other companies, Safeway and Vons, reported a combined revenue of $62 billion from grocery sales throughout its 2,253 shops around the country.
Albertsons, based in Boise, Idaho, expanded quickly and completely after purchasing Safeway in 2015 for $9.2 billion. After then, smaller acquisitions followed, with stores including Randalls, Shaw’s, Andronico’s, Acme Markets, Haggen, Lucky, and others entering the company.
5. Ahold Delhaize USA
Ahold Delhaize, which also has other subsidiaries under its umbrella, boasts a tremendous revenue of over $44 billion from grocery sales in the previous year.
Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Landover’s Giant Food, Hannaford, Carlisle’s GIANT Food Stores, and Ahold Delhaize collectively own over 2,000 locations in 18 southern states in the United States, with Food Lion having the largest number of stores.
Ahold runs stores along the east coast of the country, despite its dominance in the southern states.
6. Publix Inc.
Publix, often abbreviated as Public, is a grocery retailer with locations primarily in Georgia and Florida. In the previous calendar year, Publix made $38 billion in revenue from grocery sales (2020).
Publix is usually considered as the southern supermarket chain with the largest number of stores in the region, with 1,283 locations in seven US southeast states.
Every Publix location offers curbside grocery pickup (via a partnership with Instacart), as well as a pharmacy.
It is a well-known grocery shop in the United States that also offers services such as money transfers, an in-store bakery and deli, and recycling.
7. H.E. Butt Grocery Company
H.E. Butt Grocery Company, based primarily in Texas, generated around $28 billion in revenue from its roughly 340 locations in 2020.
H.E. Butt, based in San Antonio, Texas, is one of the few privately held grocery chains in the United States, with several locations in northern Mexico.
H.E Butt was ranked number 12 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies in 2019, with the general goods company also offering services such as ticket sales, permits, auto health, utilities, and fuel. Several worthy charities receive 5% of the grocery chain’s income before taxes.
8. Meijer Inc.
Meijer Inc. has 248 locations and ranks eighth on our list, with over $20 billion in grocery sales expected in 2020. Meijer, widely considered as the father of the modern supercenter model, is primarily focused on the Midwest, with stores in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky, as well as its headquarters in Michigan.
The supermarket chain, which was started in 1934 and is now one of the largest privately-owned businesses in the country, also sells furniture, health, cosmetics, housewares, apparel and footwear, electronics, bedding, toys, pet supplies, sporting equipment, and other things.
9. Wakefern Food Corp.
Operating under the banners of Price Rite, Dearborn Market, ShopRite, Gourmet Garage, and The Fresh Grocer, Wakefern’s revenue from grocery sales in 2020 was over $16.6 billion.
The retailer-owned corporation has over 354 stores across the country.
10. Whole Foods Market And Aldi Inc.
Since being acquired by Amazon in 2017, Whole Foods Market, which is a subsidiary of the latter, has apparently had a difficult ride. Despite this, the corporation had an estimated profit of more than $16 billion.
Whole Foods’ grocery business boasts of extra value for customers such as Amazon Hub Locker, Amazon Returns, and Amazon grocery pickup and delivery services, with 503 locations in 42 US states.
Aldi Inc. had a strong sales performance last year, generating over $15 billion in revenue, putting them on this list as well. Aldi, which is already well-established and listed as the UK’s fifth-largest grocery company, now boasts a total of 2,071 locations.
More domiciled in the eastern regions of the country, the company has reportedly declared its intentions to vigorously increase the number of outlets it currently owns.
This is not an unachievable plan for the company at all though, as it has remarkably built a cult-like following due to its reputation as the champion of low-priced groceries in the US.
Who Has The Largest Grocery Chain In The US?
We’ve gone through the list of the top 10 grocery stores by the total revenue each company was able to generate over the last year. Now, let’s look at who has the largest grocery chains in the US market presently.
Largest Grocery Chain In The US
Without any shadow of a doubt, the top dog with the largest grocery chain in the country presently is Walmart which has a remarkable total of 4,765 stores across the US.
Walmart is physically present in every state in the US (50 states) and is widely acclaimed to be the biggest seller of organic foods in the country presently.
Apart from these, other factors that make the corporation the largest grocery chain includes the following:
- Walmart is widely renowned as the biggest retailer in the entire world and this is largely due to the way it has consistently evolved to keep up with the age of e-commerce.
- Walmart has tried and trusted driverless trucks, and a very efficient drone delivery system as well.
- Walmart’s stores are deliberately located near or in areas with a high consumer population and urban centers as well. This way, they can reach a lot more people even in the remote parts of the country.
- The company has a few stores across the countryside making curbside pickup service available to their customers. They are the grocery chain with the largest number of stores that offer this service.
Is Walmart A Supermarket Chain Or A Grocery Store?
Walmart is not classified as a supermarket because it remains the largest food retailer in the US to date.
According to Food Industry, the corporation commands a staggering 90% market share in some regions in the country, and also presently has more than 26% shares of all the groceries sold in the US. Walmart is not technically categorized as a ‘supermarket’.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of thousands of additional grocery stores and even supermarket chains across the United States that will provide you with excellent service similar to the ones featured in this article.
These other establishments are well aware that they are competing with some of the world’s top brands, and they cannot afford to make a mistake every time a customer passes through their doors.
If a popular grocery store is what cuts it for you, then you may pick any of the ones mentioned on this list that you can find in your local area and experience their top-notch services.
If you couldn’t be bothered about a store’s size or any such detail, but only want to grab your fresh products and groceries at affordable prices, there are still some other stores on here that are perfect for you as well.