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Fry’s leads field in grocery customer loyalty

Seven Kroger Co. banners make InMarket’s top 25 list in return trips

Russell Redman

January 22, 2019

2 Min Read
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Fry’s Food Stores finished first in a list of the top 25 supermarket chains by customer loyalty from digital advertising specialist inMarket.

Analyzing location data from 50 million verified consumers, inMarket ranked grocery retailers based on average frequency of customer return visits per month for 2018. Fry’s, a Kroger Co. chain with 119 stores, had an average customer return trip frequency of 2.44 for the year, ahead of No. 2 Giant Eagle at 2.30.

“Loyalty has often been a barometer of success for businesses. By using metrics like customer loyalty index, grocery stores can determine the health of their repeat shopper business,” inMarket said in its report, which evaluated grocery chains with at least 50 stores.

The Kroger Co. had seven chains on the list, including three in the top five. Besides No. 1 Fry’s, they included Ralphs at No. 3 with a score of 2.26 (tied with Publix Super Markets) and Smith’s at No. 4 with an average frequency of 2.24. Other Kroger Co. banners making the list were Harris Teeter (No. 6 with a score of 2.20), Kroger (No. 7 at 2.17), Dillons (No. 17 at 1.72) and King Soopers (No. 18 at 1.70).

Rounding out the top 10 chains in average frequency of customer return trips were H-E-B (No. 5 with a score of 2.23), Safeway (No. 8 at 2.12), Food Lion (No. 9 at 2.03) and Vons (No. 10 at 1.95).

Related:Loblaw opens exclusive benefits to all loyalty members

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“Some grocery chains with heavy penetrations in urban areas tend to have higher loyalty metrics than their rural competitors. This could be because denser geographic areas incentivize more frequent trips,” inMarket noted in its analysis.

Four Albertsons Cos. grocery banners were on the inMarket 2018 loyalty list. Along with Safeway and Vons, they included Albertsons (No. 12 with a score of 1.90) and Jewel-Osco (No. 23 with an average frequency of 1.57). Ahold Delhaize USA had three of its supermarket chains on the list: Food Lion, Stop & Shop (No. 11 at 1.91) and Giant Food Stores (No. 22 at 1.58).

InMarket’s ranking also had three independent grocery chains with fewer than 100 stores: Schnuck Markets (No. 20 with an average return trip frequency of 1.61), Wegmans Food Markets (No. 21 at 1.60) and Big Y Foods (No. 24 at 1.55).

“Grocery stores have higher customer loyalty than their retail counterparts due to necessity. Consumers simply need to purchase food more often than other retail products,” according to Venice Beach, Calif.-based inMarket. “That said, by looking at the grocery category average, we can understand which chains are thriving or struggling in terms of customer loyalty.”

Related:New loyalty program gets under way at Schnucks

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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