Wegmans has been ousted as the best supermarket in the U.S., according to a new list of America’s Best Retailers.
The 2024 rankings, published by Newsweek, named Wegmans No. 2 in the supermarkets category. The Rochester-based chain, beloved by “Wegmaniacs,” took the top spot last year.
America’s new favorite supermarket is the Great Wall Supermarket, an Asian-American chain that opened its first store in New York City in 2003. Great Wall received an overall score of 92.69 (out of 100), the highest in the supermarket category.
Great Wall Supermarket describes itself as “a large-scale fresh food integrated supermarket serving Chinese communities in North America.” The company has 17 locations, including three in the NYC area but none in Upstate New York.
Wegmans received an overall score of 90.89 (out of 100), the 15th highest among the top 200 brands which feature other categories like convenience stores (led by Buc-ee’s), eyewear (Warby Parker) and toys (Build-a-Bear Workshop). Factory Connection, a discount clothing chain, received the highest overall score of 95.66.
The rest of the top 10 supermarkets include Publix, The Fresh Market, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, Seafood City, Albertsons and Kroger.
Trader Joe’s topped the list for discount supermarkets with a score of 89.14, followed by WinCoFoods and Aldi.
Costco beat out Sam’s Club, Target and BJ’s for most popular superstore and warehouse chain. Walmart, which own’s Sam’s Club, did not appear in the top 200 brands, but its pharmacy ranked second among pharmacies and drugstores behind Giant Eagle Pharmacy and ahead of Walgreens.
The rankings are based on a survey of 7,000 customers’ opinions on 40 industry categories, compiled by data intelligence platform Statista. It’s the third year Newsweek has published Statista’s rankings of “America’s Best Retailers,” aiming to help shoppers find the best stores to spend their money.
“Survey participants were asked how likely they are to recommend a retailer and to give their thoughts on an outlet’s prices, selection and atmosphere,” Newsweek said. “Customer service and accessibility were also considered.”
Wegmans has frequently ranked highly among the best supermarkets in America, including Market Force’s Customer Loyalty Index and USA Today’s 10Best lists. Wegmans also regularly makes Fortune’s overall list of the Best Companies to Work For and was named a top company for work-life balance by Forbes.
Wegmans operates more than 100 stores in eight states and Washington, D.C. The family-owned business is expected to soon open its third location in New York City.