Wegmans and Costco were selected as the No. 1 grocery retailers in a consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information of Louisville, Colo.
Wegmans ranked highest in the supermarket category, while Costco ranked highest in the mass grocer category.
Wegmans’ received 9 percent of the total votes for favorite supermarket. ShopRite, Albertsons and Whole Foods also made the list in the supermarket category.
“From high quality produce to courteous staff, cleanliness to inviting atmosphere, Wegmans is a standout favorite grocer with consumers,” said Janet Eden-Harris, Market Force CMO. “The fact that it can deliver all of these key performance attributes, and also rank highest on providing low prices, is an enormous accomplishment, and clearly earns the chain renowned customer loyalty.”
Wegman’s last year announced it would not sell marlin, sailfish, bluefin, shark and spearfish. The retailer also last year removed species from its stores that it does not believe are sustainable, including Atlantic halibut, and added a “Seafood Sustainability” section to its Web site.
Costco led the votes for favorite mass grocer, scoring highest on 12 or 16 attributes and tying for the remaining four. Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target also made the list in the mass grocer category.
The survey was conducted last month among 300,000 independent mystery shoppers and merchandisers. Nearly 6,000 consumers responded to a series of questions designed to shed light on which grocers are preferred and why. Results were based on consumer rankings against the attributes they care most about.
