Wegmans Food Markets ranks No. 1 among large companies on Fortune and Great Place To Work’s 2026 Best Workplaces in Retail list for the 11th consecutive year, based on analysis of survey responses from more than 76,000 employees at certified companies in the retail industry.
“It is an incredible honor to be named the #1 Best Workplace in Retail in America for the 11th consecutive year,” said Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, New York. “There is nothing more important to us, so this is a tremendous celebration belonging to every person at Wegmans. We are inspired by the way our people bring our shared values to life every day.”
Food retailers dominate the upper ranks of the large-company list, with Target at No. 2, convenience chain Sheetz at No. 3 and Publix at No. 5 of the 20 best large retail workplaces, the Lakeland, Florida-based grocer’s 13th consecutive year on the list. Aldi appears at No. 20 and QuikTrip at No. 19, while grocery-adjacent names on the small-and-medium side include Island Pacific Supermarket, the Filipino-American grocery chain, along with distributors Voss Distributing and Premium Distributors of Michigan.
“Publix is proud to be recognized as one of the best workplaces in the retail industry for the 13th year in a row,” said Maria Brous, director of communications. “We strive to uphold the philosophies on which our company was founded, beginning with taking care of our associates.” The largest employee-owned company in the country, Publix credits its employee stock ownership plans, promote-from-within culture and community programs, including its Good Together hunger campaigns and twice-yearly Publix Serves Weeks, for the recognition.
Wegmans will celebrate the honor Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m., serving mini cupcakes at every store, with Clementine tangerines available for customers who prefer a healthy option.
Award criteria
The rankings draw on Great Place To Work’s Trust Index survey, part of an ongoing workforce study based on more than 1.3 million survey responses from companies representing more than 7.3 million U.S. employees in 2025 and 2026. Honorees were selected on their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, work status or demographic identifier; companies with 1,000 or more employees competed in the large category, with smaller companies ranked separately.
“People are at the heart of work in every industry, and retail is no exception,” said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “These companies show how delivering for your people drives financial performance and turns fear of the future into the confidence to win.”
The recognition caps a year of workplace honors for Wegmans, which also has been named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, a Best Workplace in New York and No. 2 on People’s 2026 Companies That Care list. The Rochester, New York-based family company operates 115 stores along the East Coast.
Related: Wegmans, Publix In Top 5 Of People’s 2026 Companies That Care