While inflation increased slightly over the past year (pre-tariffs), the majority of retailers in the Food Trade News marketing area found the same challenges they’ve faced for the past decade – overstoring and a significant competitive difference in retailing styles. Those realities coupled with consumer concerns about the state of the economy kept market share shifts to a minimum and merchants struggling to maintain same store sales increases at desired levels.
This is the 47th edition of Food Trade News’ market study. Our 12-month measuring period runs from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, and covers 70 counties, ranging from Litchfield County, CT to Franklin County, PA. The study covers retailers in parts of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and all of New Jersey. The coverage area represents one of the largest marketing regions in the country, accounting for $123.1 billion in annual food and drug retail sales.
While most of the merchants in our coverage area found the past 12 months generally frustrating, of the more than 30 retailers we interviewed to discuss market conditions, a large majority expressed great concern about the future, citing tariffs, reductions in SNAP benefits and a potential economic recession.
Here’s the statistical breakdown of the top 10 retailers in our marketing area.
For the 40th consecutive year, ShopRite and its sister banners (Price Rite, Fresh Grocer, Gourmet Garage, Dearborn Market, Fairway Market and DiBruno Bros.) continued to control the landscape in the overall marketing area. As for the numbers, parent company Wakefern’s owner/members and corporately-owned store totaled 296 stores in the region (two more than last year) and rang up estimated annual retail sales of $19 billion. During the past year, there was some change to the member/owner alignment as the Ammons family sold their two Philadelphia stores to Brown’s Super Stores and Neil Greenstein’s two Newark, NJ ShopRites were acquired by Glass Gardens.
A solid year by The Giant Company (TGC), elevated the Carlisle, PA-based regional chain to the number two spot among all food retailers in the region. TGC’s numbers weren’t spectacular, but comp store increases were positive, and the Ahold Delhaize USA (ADUSA) brand performed well in all of its operating regions – Central PA, the Delaware Valley, Northeast PA and the Lehigh Valley. Sales at its 161 stores were estimated to be $7.76 billion.
The primary reason for TGC’s ascension can be attributed to the slippage of now third-ranked Stop & Shop. After years of flat or declining revenue, the second largest ADUSA brand, bit the bullet last July by announcing it would close 32 underperforming stores (24 in the FTN region) by the end of 2024. It also named veteran company executive Roger Wheeler to replace the now retired Gordon Reid as president of the Quincy, MA-based operator. Estimated annual revenue at its 177 stores was $7.56 billion.
While CVS fared the best when compared to its two other drug chain rivals – Walgreens and Rite Aid – the Woonsocket, RI-based chain also faced comp store sales hurdles. Estimated sales at 1,207 stores in the region were estimated to be $7.33 billion. Additionally, the company’s pharmaceutical benefits management (PBM) unit CVS Caremark is currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission.
Remaining in fifth place among retailers in the region was Walmart, which again did not open any new brick-and-mortar stores but managed to achieve one of the best comp store sales increases in the entire market. The Bentonville, AR-based mass merchant once again focused primarily on upgrading its e-commerce initiatives (which for the first time in its history is now profitable). However, beginning last year in Florida and Texas, Walmart began remodeling stores and adding a few new units to its roster, something the company said it will continue nationally over the next five years. Annual sales at its 173 stores in the region (including 105 SuperCenters) were estimated to be $7.03 billion, up from $6.76 billion last year.
Costco again enjoyed one of the finest years of any retailer in the market with strong comp store sales and a level of consumer loyalty that was among the best in the entire industry. The Issaquah, WA-based club merchant operates 50 stores in the region (same as last year), good for estimated annual extrapolated sales of $5.85 billion.
While Walgreens closed hundreds of stores across the country over the past year, the reduction of stores in the Food Trade News area was not as radical as in most. The Deerfield, IL-based unit of Walgreens Boots Alliance now operates 679 drug stores – three fewer than last year – and posted estimated annual revenue of $5.3 billion, a slight dip from 2024.
Moving up a spot in this year’s ranking was Target. However, it wasn’t because the Minneapolis-based merchant produced strong comparable store sales (comps were flat to slightly negative). Target’s modest sales gain over the past year can be attributed to the eight new stores it opened in the region. Now with 190 stores ranging in size from 20,000 square feet to 175,000 square feet, Target’s estimated extrapolated annual sales were $4.99 billion.
The Mid-Atlantic division of Albertsons whose banners include Acme, Safeway, Kings and Balducci’s, again found the competitive climate challenging but held its own sales-wise. The Malvern, PA division operated 176 stores, (one fewer store than last year – it closed a supermarket in Summit, NJ), and amassed estimated annual sales of $4.88 billion.
Rounding out the top 10 was regional c-store powerhouse Wawa. Once again, the Wawa, PA-based merchant enjoyed some of the best comp sales of all retailers analyzed in our annual survey. During our 12-month measuring period, Wawa opened 23 new stores (many in Central PA) and now operates 598 units, good for $4.34 billion in annual sales (excluding gas).
Other retailers that surpassed the $1 billion sales mark were: BJ’s (81 stores with extrapolated annual sales of $4.32 billion); Krasdale, which supplies 474 independent stores and amassed sales of $4.17 billion; Key Food, which oversees 354 independent supermarkets and $4.14 billion in annual sales; Amazon Grocery, which includes Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go (87 units good for estimated annual sales of $3.49 billion); Weis Markets (113 stores, annual sales of $2.84 billion; 7-Eleven (950 c-stores, estimated annual volume $2.51 billion); Wegmans (30 stores whose estimated annual revenue was $2.51 billion); ASG, which supervises 250 independent supermarkets with sales of $2.45 billion; Aldi (199 discount units whose estimated annual sales reached $1.99 billion); Trader Joe’s (65 stores, estimated annual volume of $1.98 billion); beleaguered (and soon-to-be out of business) Rite Aid (353 stores – 49 fewer than last year, estimated annual volume of $1.56 billion – approximately $250 million less than in 2024); Allegiance Retail Services/Foodtown (131 stores with annual sales of $1.42 billion); and Sam’s Club (24 stores, estimated extrapolated annual sales $1.18 billion).
By class of trade, the leaders are: supermarkets – ShopRite/Price Rite/Fresh Grocer et al (296 stores, $19 billion in estimated annual retail sales); clubs – Costco (50 stores, $5.85 billion in estimated extrapolated annual sales); mass – Walmart (173 stores, $7.03 billion in estimated extrapolated annual sales); drug – CVS (1,207 stores and $7.33 billion in estimated annual sales); and convenience stores – Wawa (598 stores and $4.34 billion in annual revenue).
Viewed as a group, the 73 chains and independents operating in the grocery, club, mass, drug and c-store channels operated 8,403 stores and accrued $120.8 billion in annual sales in the Food Trade News marketing region, good for 98.14 percent of the region’s $123.1 billion food and drug market.
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