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NEW YORK — Wegmans Food Markets Inc., Publix Super Markets Inc., Hy-Vee Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. were the top-ranked grocery store brands regionally in a Harris consumer poll measuring brand equity.
Wegmans Food Markets Inc., Publix Super Markets Inc., Hy-Vee Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. were the top-ranked grocery store brands regionally in a Harris consumer poll measuring brand equity.
The 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend study surveyed nearly 42,000 U.S. consumers and gauged over 1,500 brands across 170 categories and, for the first time, polled Americans about grocery retailers on a regional level.
Earning Grocery Store Brand of the Year honors were Wegmans in the Northeast, Publix in the South, Hy-Vee in the Midwest and Costco in the West.
"These stores put an emphasis on building a relationship with the customer, and it’s paid off with positive brand equity," stated Michael Treboni, executive vice president of retail professional services at Nielsen, the parent of Harris.
The study covered a mix of grocery retail formats, including traditional supermarkets (such as Kroger Co. and Giant Food Stores LLC), mass merchants with grocery sections (such as Walmart and Target Corp.), discount grocers (such as Aldi and Food 4 Less Supermarkets Inc.), warehouse clubs (such as Sam’s Club and Costco), and specialty grocers (such as Trader Joe’s Co. and Whole Foods Markets).
"Publix has a high level of brand advocacy, which means their consumer fan base is telling others how good they feel the brand is. That’s brand strength," Treboni observed. Though Costco is an international retailer, half of its U.S. stores are in the West, he noted. "That strong presence resonates in their brand equity scores."
