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Vons, Publix, Kroger among top grocers for vegetarians

Study gauges purchasing patterns for meat alternatives

Russell Redman

June 6, 2018

3 Min Read
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Vons, Publix Super Markets, Sprouts Farmers Market, Kroger and Whole Foods Market rank as the top five grocery chains where vegetarians are most likely to shop, an analysis by inMarket reports.

The Venice Beach, Calif.-based digital advertising firm said the five supermarket retailers are the most attractive to vegetarian-leaning consumers based on purchase history and visitation patterns. The company identified shoppers who have bought meat alternatives — including Boca Burger, Morning Star, Quorn and Beyond Meat — in 2018 and then evaluated their store visits from January to May to see where these customers over-index versus the U.S. baseline.

“In order to be vegetarian, you don’t need to spend your ‘whole paycheck’ at a specialty grocer. Thus far in 2018, shoppers who purchase meat alternatives are more likely to visit mainstream grocers Vons and Publix when compared to the U.S. baseline,” inMarket said in its latest inSights Report Card, titled “Where Do Vegetarian-Leaning Consumers Shop?”.

Cameron Peebles, chief marketing officer at inMarket, said it’s “probably not a huge surprise” that Southern California chain Vons — part of Albertsons Cos. — draws high traffic from customers seeking meat alternatives, given its strong presence in Los Angeles, which has a large pool of vegetarian-leaning consumers.

No. 3 Sprouts also has a sizable L.A. footprint and was the leading natural/organic grocer on the list, ahead of Whole Foods at No. 5 and Trader Joe’s, which at No. 6 fell just short of the top chains.

“For Whole Foods and Sprouts, catering to this market is clearly part of their overall marketing plan and demographic targeting. There were surprising moments with Publix and Kroger on the list, but when you peel back and look at their strategy, it makes a lot of sense,” Peebles explained.

Kroger, which came in fourth, rolled out its plant-based Beyond Meat brand in July 2017 and has continued to expand its offerings to the vegetarian-leaning customer base, inMarket noted.

“Kroger has its own organic brands, but they’re very good at launching new products and placing them well within their stores. As an example, Kroger places a good amount of their meat alternatives with the meat section, and that shows they can introduce these products through sampling into a population that may not have otherwise gone into the produce section,” Peebles said.

“Kroger is doing a good job of trying to effect this shift,” added Mike Don, chief operating officer at inMarket. “Vons coming out No. 1 is not surprising. They’re very good about matching up with clientele in the Southern California area, which has a good share of people that are very health-conscious.”

The Southern California market typically exhibits a lot of innovation in consumables, Don pointed out. “We see people innovating in every food group, from super-pasteurized milk to Beyond Meat, which is a great example, and to all of the premium ice cream alternatives, whether dairy or nondairy,” he said.

With more than 1,100 supermarkets across the Southeast, mostly in Florida, Publix offers a large selection of meat alternatives, which could be attracting price-savvy vegetarian-leaning customers who determined they can get what they want at Publix without having to make an extra trip to a specialty grocery store, according to the inMarket report.

“There are a lot of retired people there [in Publix’s market area], and the data could show potentially that they become more health-conscious as they get older,” Peebles said.

Even with a huge assortment of products for vegetarians, Whole Foods trailed traditional supermarkets on the list in attracting buyers of meat alternatives. “As mainstream grocers continue to expand their meatless offerings to a growing percentage of vegetarian shoppers,” inMarket’s report said, “it will be interesting to see how the typically more expensive Whole Foods handles the competition.”

Whole Foods already has taken a competitive hit since mainstream supermarkets began boosting their selection of natural and organic products, according to Don. “That’s been going on for quite a while now at larger grocery chains, and it will continue to expand,” he said.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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