Report: Stop & Shop, Hannaford secure top spots in Northeast grocery visits

Recent grocery store visit market share findings in the Northeast reveal the area is as diverse as its grocers.

Stop & Shop and Hannaford topped the list as the leaders in store visits in the Northeast region, despite smaller regional chains continuing to thrive as well, according to new data from foot-traffic analytics firm Placer.ai.

Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop secured the No. 1 spot in the following three states in the nine-state region: Connecticut (where local shoppers visited the Ahold Delhaize banner 37% of the time); Massachusetts (25%) and Rhode Island (45%), Placer.ai reported in its latest “Northeastern USA Grocery Dive” report.

Stop & Shop takes the top spot in three states for store visits in Placer.ai's February “Northeastern USA Grocery Dive” report. Source: Placer.ai

Stop & Shop takes the top spot in three states for store visits in Placer.ai's February “Northeastern USA Grocery Dive” report. Source: Placer.ai

Maine-based Hannaford came in at No. 2, followed by the Giant Co. Wegmans, ShopRite and Market Basket.

Placer.ai based the store visit counts on its February Brand Dominance Map. “While five major brands commanded the majority of visits across the Northeast, plenty of other chains also enjoyed significant visit shares,” Placer.ai author Bracha Arnold said regarding the report’s findings.

As for a breakdown of top retailers by state, findings in the report reveal Massachusetts-based Shaw’s took the top spot in Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. Bay State-based grocer Market Basket captured the No. 2 spot in Massachusetts with 23%.

Rochester, New York-based Wegmans, which has garnered a cult following of fans for its stores, captured the top spot in its home state at 13%, Placer.ai’s report showed.

The report also highlights the investments Stop & Shop has and continues to make in its New York stores, which resulted in more foot traffic. Last year, the Ahold Delhaize banner announced a $140 million capital investment in its New York City stores, including its store in the Bronx.

“The remodel has been met with a positive impact on its foot traffic trends, with visits increasing 3.6% year over year and foot traffic showing growth in all months analyzed,” the report said.

Stop & Shop, which is Ahold Delhaize’s largest U.S. banner, last year renovated its Dorchester, Massachusetts, location leading to growth in foot traffic as well, the report found.

Since the re-launch of the Massachusetts location “year-over-three-year foot traffic to the Dorchester location grew by 3.8% in Q4 2022, while overall foot traffic to Stop & Shop in Massachusetts declined by 8.8%,” Arnold reported.

Earlier this year, placer.ai offered analysis on the competitive supermarket scene in the Midwest, where Ohio-based Kroger and Iowa-based Hy-Vee led grocery store visit market share.