H-E-B, Market Basket and Woodman’s are the top three U.S. grocery retailers, according to dunnhumby’s ninth annual Retailer Preference Index (RPI) for U.S. Grocery, a comprehensive, nationwide study that examines the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market.
H-E-B, the Texas-based regional grocer, has ranked first for the fifth time in nine years. Market Basket ranked second for the second time, while Wisconsin-based Woodman’s, appearing in the RPI for the first time, replaced Costco as the third top U.S. grocer. For the first time, the leading three retailers in the U.S. are all regional chains. Costco (4), Aldi (5), Winco Foods (6), Trader Joes (7), Amazon (8), Wegman’s (9) and ShopRite (10) round out the 10 highest ranked grocers.
The RPI found that 41 percent of a retailer’s long-term success is based on “saving customers money” through competitive pricing, promotions and rewards – up three points from last year and marking a new record high. This remains the most important of the five customer perception pillars. Retailers who excel at delivering savings consistently achieve stronger, long-term market success in the U.S.
“2025 threw a lot of curveballs at the U.S. consumer. Shopper confidence dropped as concerns about higher prices, fewer job opportunities and stagnant wages eroded purchasing power. Consumers across all income levels are feeling the squeeze and making more price-conscious choices,” said Matt O’Grady, president of the Americas for dunnhumby.
“In this environment, building trust with American shoppers has never been more critical.”
Key findings from the study:
- U.S. consumers prioritize “saving money” on groceries more than their peers in other developed countries, according to a global dunnhumby RPI analysis, due to higher insecurity rates of basic human needs (Global Social Progress Imperative Study). According to dunnhumby’s Consumer Trends Tracker, 56 percent of Americans cannot cover a $400 emergency, a metric that has worsened since December 2024. Meanwhile, 58 million Americans – more than the entire population of Canada – experience food insecurity and occasionally skip meals due to affordability issues.
- Quality and value are converging in retail. Savings-focused retailers like Walmart and Aldi are driving this shift, narrowing quality perception gaps with traditional competitors while expanding their price advantage. As a result, quality has emerged as a key competitive differentiator alongside affordability.
- Retailers in the first quartile have consistently outperformed competitors. These top retailers have grown grocery revenue the most over the past year, delivered the strongest growth over the past five years and built a sustained market share advantage over the long term.
- The battle for second place is wide open, with any of the retailers ranked second through eighth having a realistic chance. For now, H-E-B remains firmly entrenched as the top retailer due to its superior ability to deliver a combination of better savings, quality, experience and assortment.
- Woodman’s captured third place in the rankings in its first year in the RPI. The retailer was able to leapfrog the competition through strong results in the top two most important pillars – price, promotions and rewards and quality, as well as finishing second overall in operations.
- Amazon, the leading U.S. grocer in 2021 and 2022, dropped two spots, while Sam’s Club fell six places. Their rankings declined mainly because the digital pillar became less important in 2025, which had been a key strength for both retailers. In addition, neither Amazon nor Sam’s Club ranks in the first quartile for price, promotions, rewards or quality.
Dunnhumby also will be attending and exhibiting at NRF 2026 in booth No. 4665 and will be speaking about the RPI alongside METRO Inc., Giant Food and Placer.ai from 1:30-2 p.m. on Jan. 12. Learn more about their session, Growing Market Share in a Disrupted Retail Landscape, here.
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