Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In
Retail

Northwestern U.S. Grocery Dive

We take a look at the grocery segment in the Northwest, focusing on foot traffic to major players like Albertsons and Safeway.

By 
Lila Margalit
May 25, 2023
Northwestern U.S. Grocery Dive
SHARE
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Key Takeaways

The nationwide grocery category suffered a setback in recent months, as inflation led many consumers to tighten their belts and seek out off-price retailers. And even though food prices have finally begun to stabilize, they remain significantly higher than they were last year. 

But the state of grocery varies considerably across regions. So with the second quarter of 2023 underway, we continued making the regional grocery rounds, focusing this time on the Northwest – an area encompassing Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

Albertsons: The Statewide Winner

Albertsons topped the list as the most popular grocery banner in three out of five Northwestern states: Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Safeway, also owned by Albertsons Companies, Inc., was the most-visited grocery chain in Washington. And Fred Meyer, owned by The Kroger Company, enjoyed the highest visit share in Oregon. With an Albertsons-Kroger merger in the works, the two companies appear poised to lead the Northwest grocery space in tandem.

But the Overall Regional Leader is Safeway

But as we’ve pointed out, topping the statewide lists isn’t everything. In many areas, the second- and third-place grocery banners also command a significant portion of the overall visit share. A deeper dive into the most popular supermarkets across the region shows that four banners dominate the local grocery scene: Albertsons, Fred Meyers, Safeway, and WinCO Foods. And looking at the overall regional breakdown of visit share reveals Safeway as the overall regional winner.  

WinCo: Leading the Way for Off-Price

The success of WinCo Foods, the privately-held, employee-owned grocery chain with some 139 locations across 10 states – including 66 in the Northwest – shows that smaller brands can also win at the regional grocery game. Based in Boise, ID, WinCo keeps prices low by buying directly from farmers and manufacturers and providing a no-frills shopping experience: Customers can’t pay by credit card, and they have to bag their own groceries. Most locations are open 24 hours a day, and many products can be purchased in bulk.

And WinCo’s low-cost strategy seems to be paying off. Since the beginning of the year, WinCo has greatly outperformed the nationwide grocery sector, with year-over-year (YoY) visits up nearly across the board, partly due to the chain’s continued expansion. While the chain doesn’t rank as the top grocery retailer for any of the analyzed states, its regional visit share stood at 10.9% in April 2023, making it the third-most-visited banner in the region. 

 The data also suggests that WinCo customers may be more likely than those of other regional grocery leaders to engage in mission-driven shopping. Analyzing the daily visit breakdown for leading groceries in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Montana – the four Northwestern states that boast a WinCo – shows that a larger share of WinCo visitors frequent the store on weekends. And WinCo customers tend to remain in-store significantly longer than visitors to other leading food retailers: median dwell time at WinCo stores across the analyzed states ranged from 32-35 minutes, compared to 26-29 minutes for other leading regional grocers. Customers appear to be flocking to the low-priced chain on weekends, when they have more time to browse the aisles and stock up on discount goods.

Key Takeaways

While several big chains dominate the nationwide grocery scene, food shopping remains a highly localized affair. For Texans, there’s nothing quite like H-E-B, and Northeasterners can’t get enough Stop & Shop. In the Northwest, Albertsons banners win the day, with Kroger’s Fred Meyer close behind. But the significant growth experienced by employee-owned WinCo shows that there’s plenty of room for smaller players in the grocery space – especially those that offer inflation-wary shoppers low-cost alternatives.

For more data-driven grocery insights, visit placer.ai/blog.

Learn how downtown regions across US cities are measuring up with our free tools.
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
SHARE
Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week
Subscribe to the newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Recent Publications

Get 3 brand & industry breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter
Text Link
Grocery
Text Link
Albertsons
Text Link
Safeway
Looking Ahead to the 2024 Holiday Season
Trader Joe's: Continuing to Thrive in 2024
Bowlero and AMF: A Ten-Pin Knockout
Recreational Retail: Store Performance in 2024
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – September 2024
A QSR and Fast-Casual Face-Off
Sam’s Club’s In-Store Retail Media Network Opportunity
The Rising Stars: Six Metro Areas Welcoming Young Professionals
Costco in 2024: A Deep Dive
Sherwin-Williams in 2024: Brighter Than a New Lick of Paint
Life Time and Orangetheory: Premium Fitness Flourishing
C-Stores: More Than A Pit Stop
Darden: Dining Dominance Undeterred 
Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2024 Recap – Back-To-School In Full Swing
Auto Parts Retailers: The Traffic Continues
Pumpkin Spice Works its Magic Once Again
School Season Sparks Retail Growth
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – July & August 2024
Big Lots’ Big Rightsizing Move in Four Data Points
Fun Away From The Sun: Checking in With Eatertainment
Domestic Migration and Population Growth: Strong Currents Off The Carolina Coast
The Civic Impact of Summer Events
Retail Trends in College Towns: A Back-to-School Snapshot
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Consumers Still on the Hunt for Discounts
Macy’s & Bloomingdale’s: Into 2024 and Beyond
Limited Time Only: The Trend Continues
Beauty in 2024: Many Ways to Win
Dollar General & Dollar Tree: Powering Ahead in Q2 2024
The Home Depot and Lowe's Foot Traffic Remodel in Q2 2024
Superstore Update: Summer Savings Spree
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2024 Recap – From Fourth of July to Back-to-School
Placer.ai Office Index: July 2024 Recap
Summer Movie Madness: Blockbuster Films Boost Foot Traffic
Driving Success: Toyota in 2024
Denny’s and IHOP: An All-Day Breakfast Matchup
Warby Parker: Seeing Clearly Now
Planet Fitness at the 2024 Halfway Point
Serving Summer 2024: RBI and Yum! Brands Q2 Foot Traffic
Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Dunkin’: Finding Summer Success
Fast Food and Fast Casual Favorites, Plus CosMc’s Takeoff
Chipotle and Sweetgreen: Fast-Casual in Q2 2024
First Watch, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s: An FSR Roundup
Albertsons Companies: H1 2024 Recap
Teaming Up For Success: Sports Stadium Sponsorships
Limited Time Offers: Price Wars Boost Visits
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2024 Recap
Inside Out 2: The New Blockbuster Bringing Crowds Back to Theaters
Petco and PetSmart: A Head to Head
Frozen Delights: Exploring Ice Cream Chains Across America
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – June 2024
Barnes & Noble: Writing a New Story
Small Format Stores - Sprouting, Blooming, and Expanding
Retail and Dining on Father’s Day
Thrift Store Visit Scores
Charting Value Grocery’s Visit Growth
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: Introduction and May 2024 Recap
Digging Into Darden: Q2 2024 Update
2024 Retail and Dining Trends Update
TRU and avid: Midscale Hotels on the Rise 
Diving Into Kroger: A Strong Start to 2024
Placer.ai Mall Index: May 2024 Recap – Mall Visits on the Rebound
Placer.ai Office Index: May 2024 Recap
2024 Memorial Day Recap
Las Vegas: A Tourism and Migration Deep Dive
Eatertainment Chains: Full on Food, Fun, and Foot Traffic
The Promise of Luxury Apparel
Catching Up With Ulta Beauty & Gap Brands
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Five Below: Q1 2024 Treasure Troves
CAVA Still Going Strong
Driving Success: Auto Parts Chains in 2024
Checking in With DICK’S Sporting Goods
Mother’s Day Shopping and Dining Trends
Placer.ai Mall Index: April 2024 Recap – Retail Resilience Heading into Spring
Dollar Stores Still Gaining Momentum
Off-Price Apparel Chains After Q1 2024: Demographics in the Balance
Walmart, Target, and Wholesale Clubs Continue to Thrive
Home Improvement and Decor Check In
Placer.ai Office Index: April 2024 Recap – Recovery Continues
Movie Theaters in Q1 2024: A Preview of Coming Attractions?
Let’s Get Physical: Fitness In 2024
Where Are Workers Returning to Office in 2024?
2024 Wins: Sweetgreen & First Watch on the Rise
A Full-Service Turnaround: Bloomin’, Dine, and Texas Roadhouse
Wendy’s and Denny’s: Breakfast and Late Night Dining Drives Success
Coffee Chains: Q1 2024 Update and What’s Changed Since COVID
Checking in with RBI and YUM!
Chipotle & McDonald's Serving Up Success
Wingstop & Shake Shack Continue Growing Their Reach 
Strong Start for Sprouts in 2024
Crocs’ Footwear Fairytale
Who Attends NCAA Final Four Events?
Eclipse Fever: How Did the (Retail and Hospitality) Stars Align?
Exploring Albertsons Companies’ Grocery Growth
Placer.ai Mall Index: March 2024 Recap – Malls Rise Again
Placer.ai Office Index: March 2024 Recap
Florida Spring Break Break-Up? Travelers Still Love Florida!