Dunnhumby Names H-E-B Top U.S. Grocer for 2025

H-E-B, Market Basket, and Woodman’s ranked as the top three U.S. grocery retailers in dunnhumby’s ninth annual Retailer Preference Index (RPI) for U.S. Grocery, a nationwide study analyzing performance across the $1 trillion U.S. grocery sector.

H-E-B placed first in the rankings for the fifth time in nine years. Market Basket, headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, finished second for the second time. Wisconsin-based Woodman’s entered the RPI rankings for the first time and placed third, displacing Costco from the top three. The results also marked the first year in which all three leading retailers were regional grocery chains.

Costco ranked fourth, followed by Aldi, WinCo Foods, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, Wegmans and ShopRite, which rounded out the top 10.

According to the study, price-related factors account for 41% of a retailer’s long-term success. This includes competitive pricing, promotions and loyalty rewards, and represents an increase from the prior year. Dunnhumby identified “saving customers money” as the most influential of the five customer perception categories evaluated in the RPI.

Dunnhumby noted that economic pressures in 2025 influenced consumer behavior, with shoppers becoming increasingly price-conscious amid concerns over inflation, employment and wage growth. As a result, trust and value perception have become more significant factors in retailer preference.

Study Highlights

• U.S. consumers place greater emphasis on grocery savings than consumers in other developed markets, according to dunnhumby’s global analysis. The study cited increased financial insecurity, noting that more than half of Americans are unable to cover a $400 emergency expense, and tens of millions experience food insecurity.
• The distinction between value and quality continues to narrow, particularly as price-focused retailers improve quality perceptions while maintaining cost advantages.
• Retailers ranking in the top quartile of the RPI have demonstrated stronger revenue growth and market share gains over both short- and long-term periods.
• Competition among retailers ranked second through eighth remains close, with multiple companies positioned to move higher in future rankings. Dunnhumby attributed H-E-B’s continued top placement to its performance across savings, quality, assortment and overall customer experience.
• Woodman’s achieved a third-place ranking in its first year in the index, supported by strong performance in price, promotions and quality, as well as high operational scores.
• Amazon and Sam’s Club declined in the rankings, which dunnhumby attributed in part to reduced emphasis on digital capabilities in the 2025 methodology and comparatively weaker performance in pricing, promotions and quality metrics.

Dunnhumby will participate in NRF 2026, where it plans to exhibit and present findings from the Retailer Preference Index alongside METRO Inc., Giant Food and Placer.ai.