Kroger supermarkets, the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, stands above the pack, according to a customer satisfaction survey of major grocery chains.
Morning Consult, a Washington, D.C.-based public opinion data company, released its Spring 2017 Most Loved Brands list. The list is a survey of about 200,000 customers regarding their favorability toward 500 of America’s biggest companies (with a simple “favorable” or “unfavorable” line of questioning).
Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, garnered a 53-percent favorability among grocery stores, followed by Whole Foods, 48 percent; Safeway, 40 percent; Albertsons; and Publix, both with 33 percent.
Kroger beats Whole Foods largely because of the fact the more people have an unfavorable opinion of Whole Foods–13 percent to Kroger’s 9 percent. Kroger’s higher score is also driven by how much money respondents make. When breaking down adults by income, Kroger edges out Whole Foods in every category.
The gap is widest among people with lower incomes. Kroger has a net favorable score with half of people making less than $50,000, while Whole Foods garners a net favorable score of 44 percent. Among the highest earners ,there was a virtural tie: Kroger has a net favorable score of 60 percent with people making over $100,000. Whole Foods has a score of 59 percent with the same group.
Cult favorites like Trader Joe’s and Wegmans did not make the cut, but not because they’re not well-liked. A representative for Morning Consult tells Food & Wine magazine that the store chains they studied were based on market share, so brands like Trader Joe’s were not included due to a smaller national footprint. For example, Kroger oversees nearly 2,800 supermarkets in 35 states and the District of Columbia while Trader Joe’s only has 461 locations nationwide.
