Costco has taken the No. 1 spot among retail brands in ChangeUp‘s 2026 Experience Report, displacing last year’s leader H-E-B, which moved to No. 2. The Dayton, Ohio-based brand strategy and retail design agency’s second annual report ranks the Top 50 retail and Top 50 restaurant brands by how strongly their physical experiences resonate with customers.
In restaurants, In-N-Out held the top spot for the second consecutive year, followed by Texas Roadhouse.
ChangeUp surveyed more than 6,500 consumers on more than 300 brands, capturing more than 400,000 data points through survey research and AI-powered sentiment analysis of consumer reviews and online conversations. Brands were evaluated on eight dimensions of experience: memorability, staleness, return intent, unprompted visit desire, advocacy, novelty, substitutability and relevance. New this year, retail and restaurant rankings are separated, with each category measured against its own competitive set.
“Consumers are still willing to spend on experience, but as people become more selective, every trip now carries more expectation,” said Lee Carpenter, CEO of ChangeUp. “They’re taking fewer trips and asking more of the ones they make. The brands leading the rankings are giving people something that is harder to replace, along with a reason to make the trip, and a reason to remember it.”
Key findings
- Costco ranks No. 1 in retail, unseating H-E-B; it was one of the few brands to improve measurably this year, scoring above the retail average on all eight dimensions, while H-E-B held steady.
- In-N-Out repeats at No. 1 in restaurants, with Texas Roadhouse at No. 2; Chick-fil-A and Playa Bowls also stand out for turning distinctive elements into signature experiences.
- Emerging brands including Playa Bowls, Dutch Bros and Buc-ee’s are creating enough pull to earn a trip, the report found.
- The report examines how pickup, delivery and curbside are changing the role of the physical store, and what brands can do to make the visit worth choosing.
- The strongest brands perform on multiple dimensions rather than excelling at just one.
Grocers throughout the rankings
Grocery and club retailers dominate the retail list, claiming five of the top 10 spots. Behind Costco and H-E-B, Sam’s Club ranks No. 7, Wegmans No. 8 and Publix No. 10, with Wegmans, new to the study this year, cited for range, prepared food and staffing deep enough that shoppers bypass other grocers and cross county lines, and Publix recognized for service, with associates who take customers to the shelf and carry bags out.
Other food retailers in the Top 50 include Trader Joe’s (No. 15), Harris Teeter (No. 17), Giant Eagle (No. 26), ShopRite (No. 31), Food Lion (No. 35), Kroger (No. 37), Aldi (No. 38), Meijer (No. 40) and Stop & Shop (No. 46).
Convenience players Buc-ee’s (No. 9) and Kwik Trip (No. 11) also crack the upper ranks, with the report crediting both for making the stop itself the reason to go.
The report notes that grocery and mass – “the trips people cannot skip” – held their experience steady while discretionary categories like apparel slipped, and that the strongest leaders, including Costco, H-E-B and Fleet Feet, score well on nearly every dimension rather than spiking on one.
“What we’re seeing in the data is that a brand can do everything it did last year and still lose ground because the experiences around it are getting better,” Carpenter said. “Staying relevant requires more than protecting what already works. Brands have to keep finding ways to give people a reason to choose them.”
ChangeUp’s client work has included Chick-fil-A, Bath & Body Works, Kia, The Vitamin Shoppe, bp and Panera Bread.
Related: H-E-B Ranks First On ChangeUp’s Experience Report