Physical store traffic remains one of retail’s clearest indicators of consumer engagement. Unlike sales, revenue, search activity, or brand awareness, foot-traffic data measures how often people enter physical locations.

However, no freely accessible location-analytics dataset provides a comprehensive annual ranking covering every U.S. retailer. The most complete comparable public source is the JLL Grocery Report 2025, which uses Placer.ai data for calendar year 2024.

The ranking below is therefore limited to the grocery banners included in JLL and Placer.ai’s public dataset. It should not be interpreted as a ranking of every U.S. retailer or every company that sells groceries.

The chains are ranked by estimated total U.S. visits during calendar year 2024. Exact estimates displayed in the underlying JLL and Placer.ai visualization have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 visits.

The ranking is based on total visits across each covered banner’s network. It is not based on:

JLL reported that U.S. grocery stores received nearly 17.2 billion estimated visits in 2024, up 1.0% from 2023 and 10.9% from 2019. The ten chains below accounted for nearly 44% of total grocery visits in the dataset.

Placer.ai uses representative panels of mobile-location data and applies data science and machine-learning techniques to estimate broader visitation. The underlying data are aggregated and stripped of direct personal identifiers before being used to produce statistical insights. These figures are therefore estimates rather than exact customer counts. Placer.ai explains its methodology here.

The ranking treats individual banners and formats separately. Kroger refers to the Kroger banner rather than every supermarket owned by The Kroger Co. Walmart Neighborhood Market excludes Walmart Supercenters, while Safeway is not combined with other Albertsons Companies banners.

Store counts are provided for context. They are not used to calculate exact visits per location because several counts come from different reporting dates or include formats not perfectly aligned with Placer.ai’s geofences.

Retail Category: Conventional Supermarket

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 1.308 billion, representing 7.6% of grocery visits in the covered dataset

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: 1,228 Kroger-branded grocery stores across 16 states, according to the company’s directory accessed July 23, 2026. This is not a 2024 store count. Source: Kroger

Year-over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available for full-year 2024. Visits fell 1.5% in Q4 2024 from Q4 2023. JLL subsequently reported that Kroger’s same-store visits increased 0.3% in 2025. Sources: EMARKETER citing Placer.ai and JLL Grocery Tracker 2026

Kroger’s first-place position reflects the combination of an extensive store network and the frequency of conventional grocery shopping. Food, household essentials, pharmacy services, fuel rewards, digital coupons, prepared meals, and private-label products create reasons for customers to return throughout the month.

The result applies only to the Kroger banner. The Kroger Co. also operates regional banners including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, Fry’s and Smith’s, but those stores are not included under the Kroger name in this ranking.

The banner’s 1.5% fourth-quarter decline shows that high total traffic and traffic growth are different measurements. Kroger attracted more estimated annual visits than any other banner in the dataset even though its late-2024 traffic declined. The return to 0.3% same-store growth in 2025 suggests stabilization, but considerably slower momentum than at Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Kroger demonstrates how a large, established network can sustain exceptional visit volume even when faster-growing competitors gain traffic. Essential demand and neighborhood proximity protect the traffic base, but they do not guarantee expanding market share.

Retail Category: Conventional Supermarket

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 1.263 billion, representing 7.4% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: 1,390 supermarkets as of December 28, 2024. Source: Publix 2024 Form 10-K

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available on a comparable full-year basis

Publix attracted nearly as many estimated visits as Kroger despite operating in only eight Southeastern states at the end of 2024. The result reflects dense coverage in Florida, a strong regional reputation, and continued population growth across the Southeast.

The chain provides several trip occasions beyond a traditional weekly grocery shop. Its pharmacies, prepared foods, bakeries, delis, fresh departments and private-label products can generate prescription visits, meal purchases and smaller convenience trips.

Network expansion also contributed to total traffic. Publix operated 1,390 supermarkets at the end of 2024, up from 1,360 at the beginning of the year. It opened 43 supermarkets, including seven replacements, and closed 13 during the year. Because a comparable full-year visit-growth rate is unavailable, the effects of new locations and traffic at established stores cannot be separated.

Publix finished only 0.2 percentage points behind Kroger in visit share. Its performance shows how a concentrated regional network can produce traffic comparable with a broader national banner. It also illustrates the importance of Southern population and retail expansion trends, particularly in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Retail Category: Discount Grocery

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 923.9 million, representing 5.4% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: Not Publicly Available as an exact current total. Aldi expects to operate nearly 2,800 stores by the end of 2026, but that is a projection rather than a current count. Source: Aldi U.S.

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available for full-year 2024. Visits increased 12.3% in Q4 2024 from Q4 2023. JLL subsequently reported 8.3% visit growth in 2025. Sources: EMARKETER citing Placer.ai and JLL Grocery Tracker 2026

Aldi combined the ranking’s strongest discount proposition with rapid expansion. Its limited assortment, extensive use of private labels, smaller stores and operationally simple format allow it to compete primarily on price and trip efficiency.

The chain opened 105 locations in 2024, adding more than 2.3 million square feet, according to JLL. Those openings expanded the network available to generate visits. The 12.3% fourth-quarter increase, however, suggests that demand for the format also strengthened substantially.

Aldi’s 2024 traffic was 51.2% above its 2019 level, far exceeding the grocery industry’s 10.9% increase over the same period. The trend continued in 2025, when JLL reported another 8.3% increase.

Aldi remained behind Kroger and Publix in total visits because its network and format are different, but it recorded much stronger momentum. Its performance shows how elevated food prices have encouraged consumers to accept a narrower assortment and simpler shopping environment in exchange for lower prices, private-label value and faster trips.

Retail Category: Conventional Supermarket

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 821.2 million, representing 4.8% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: 909 locations, according to the company directory accessed July 23, 2026. This is not a 2024 count. Source: Safeway

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available for full-year 2024. Visits declined 0.2% in Q4 2024 from Q4 2023. Source: EMARKETER citing Placer.ai

Safeway’s fourth-place position reflects its established presence in Western and Mid-Atlantic markets. Its stores function as neighborhood grocery anchors and combine food shopping with pharmacies, prepared meals, loyalty discounts, pickup and delivery services.

The annual estimate applies to the Safeway banner, not all stores operated by Albertsons Companies. That distinction is essential because combining Safeway, Albertsons and other corporate banners would produce a company-level total that is not comparable with the banner-level Placer.ai ranking.

Safeway’s 0.2% fourth-quarter decline indicates broadly stable late-year traffic rather than meaningful growth. The banner performed better than Kroger during that quarter but trailed the gains recorded by Aldi, Trader Joe’s, H-E-B and Food Lion.

Its position illustrates how established chains can remain heavily visited even when momentum is limited. Safeway’s network, convenient locations and essential product mix preserve recurring demand. At the same time, flat traffic suggests pressure from discount grocers, warehouse clubs, mass merchants and regional competitors with stronger growth.

Retail Category: Neighborhood Grocery and General Merchandise

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 692.3 million, representing 4.0% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: 673 Neighborhood Markets as of April 30, 2026. The figure excludes Walmart’s 21 other small-format locations. Source: Walmart Location Facts

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available on a comparable full-year format-specific basis

Walmart Neighborhood Market adapts Walmart’s value positioning to a smaller, grocery-led format. Customers can buy food, pharmacy products and household essentials without navigating a full-size Supercenter, supporting frequent neighborhood trips.

This entry does not include Walmart Supercenters. Those stores would be major contributors to any all-retail or all-grocery ranking, but their 2024 visit totals were not published within the same JLL dataset. Combining the formats would undermine comparability.

The current count of 673 Neighborhood Markets comes from April 2026 and should not be used to calculate 2024 visits per location. Walmart reported 691 Neighborhood Markets and other small formats as of January 31, 2025, but that filing did not separate the two formats. The current company data provide a cleaner Neighborhood Market count, although it comes from a later period.

The format’s traffic demonstrates the appeal of combining recognizable low prices with neighborhood convenience. It occupies a middle ground between conventional supermarkets and large stock-up destinations, giving customers access to Walmart’s grocery assortment, pharmacy services and pickup infrastructure through a smaller store.

Retail Category: Regional Supermarket

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 662.8 million, representing 3.9% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: Not Publicly Available as an exact U.S.-only count. H-E-B reported more than 455 stores in Texas and Mexico in December 2024. Source: H-E-B

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available for full-year 2024. Visits increased 4.3% in Q4 2024 from Q4 2023. Source: EMARKETER citing Placer.ai

H-E-B generated more than 662 million estimated visits despite being overwhelmingly concentrated in Texas. Its position reflects deep regional penetration, substantial customer loyalty and a broad offer spanning fresh food, private labels, pharmacies, prepared meals and locally tailored products.

The chain opened nine Texas stores in 2024, adding more than 1 million square feet, according to JLL. Those openings contributed to total traffic, but the publicly available data do not separate visits at new locations from growth at established stores.

H-E-B’s 4.3% fourth-quarter increase exceeded the late-2024 performance of Kroger and Safeway. Its growth suggests that regional strength can remain a competitive advantage when stores are closely aligned with local tastes, neighborhoods and shopping habits.

A precise visits-per-location calculation is not possible because H-E-B’s published store total combines the United States and Mexico and includes multiple formats. Even without that calculation, its sixth-place national ranking is notable for a retailer with a highly concentrated geographic footprint. H-E-B demonstrates that regional intensity can compete with national breadth.

Retail Category: Conventional Supermarket

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 642.7 million, representing 3.7% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: More than 1,100 stores across ten Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, reported December 5, 2024. Source: Ahold Delhaize USA

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available for full-year 2024. Visits increased 3.1% in Q4 2024 from Q4 2023. Source: EMARKETER citing Placer.ai

Food Lion’s traffic is closely linked to network density and neighborhood convenience. Its more than 1,100 locations give the chain broad coverage across Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic communities, including suburban and smaller regional markets.

The retailer competes through groceries, household essentials, loyalty discounts, private-label products and relatively straightforward store layouts. It may not function as the same type of destination as a warehouse club or supercenter, but proximity is a powerful advantage when customers need perishable food or urgent household items.

Food Lion’s 3.1% fourth-quarter growth outpaced Kroger and Safeway, although it remained below Aldi, Trader Joe’s and H-E-B. Public data do not provide a comparable full-year growth rate or enough information to divide the increase between new-store activity and stronger established-store traffic.

Its position directly behind H-E-B highlights two regional models. H-E-B concentrates heavily on Texas, while Food Lion distributes its network across ten states. Both generated national-scale traffic without relying on a coast-to-coast footprint.

Retail Category: Supercenter and Grocery

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 473.7 million, representing 2.8% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: More than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations across six Midwestern states, reported in 2024. Source: Meijer

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available on a comparable full-year basis

Meijer combines full grocery departments with general merchandise, pharmacies, apparel, seasonal products, home goods and other categories. This one-stop format creates multiple reasons to visit and allows households to consolidate food and discretionary purchases.

The chain’s eighth-place position is significant because its footprint is concentrated in six Midwestern states. It lacks the geographic breadth of several chains above it but still generated nearly 474 million estimated visits.

The reported location total requires caution. Meijer includes several formats, including smaller express locations, while Placer.ai’s grocery-chain geofences may not treat every format identically. The company has separately described operating 241 supercenters in 2024, but that count excludes its grocery, neighborhood and express formats. An exact per-location calculation would therefore be misleading.

Meijer’s result suggests that large regional stores can remain productive destinations when they offer both groceries and general merchandise. For consumers managing time and household budgets, combining several shopping missions in one trip may be as important as proximity.

Retail Category: Specialty Grocery

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 386.7 million, representing 2.3% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: Not Publicly Available as a verified historical company total. The company provides an official directory but does not display an aggregate count. Source: Trader Joe’s

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Visits increased 6.1% in 2024 from 2023 and 24.7% from 2019. JLL subsequently reported 10.4% visit growth in 2025. Sources: JLL Grocery Report 2025 and JLL Grocery Tracker 2026

Trader Joe’s ranked ninth in total traffic but recorded one of the strongest verified annual growth rates. Its stores attract shoppers through distinctive private-label products, seasonal launches, relatively compact layouts and a frequently changing assortment.

This merchandising model creates a discovery-oriented trip. Customers may visit Trader Joe’s for specialty products and prepared foods while continuing to use other grocers for a broader weekly stock-up. That behavior can generate frequent repeat visits without requiring Trader Joe’s to carry the assortment of a conventional supermarket.

Expansion contributed to growth. JLL reported 34 openings in 2024, adding more than 450,000 square feet. Nevertheless, the chain’s 6.1% annual traffic increase cannot be attributed solely to new stores without comparable same-store data.

Momentum strengthened further in 2025, when JLL reported 10.4% growth. Trader Joe’s shows that value is not limited to the lowest shelf price. Consumers may also perceive value through exclusive products, quality, convenience and a differentiated shopping experience.

Retail Category: Natural and Organic Specialty Grocery

Estimated Store Visits: Approximately 339.1 million, representing 2.0% of covered grocery visits

Data Period: Calendar year 2024

Data Source: JLL Research using Placer.ai data

Number of U.S. Locations: Not Publicly Available as an exact U.S.-only figure. Whole Foods reported more than 530 stores across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom in March 2024. Source: Whole Foods Market announcement

Year-Over-Year Visit Change: Not Publicly Available for full-year 2024. JLL subsequently reported 9.8% visit growth in 2025. Source: JLL Grocery Tracker 2026

Whole Foods completes the corrected ranking with approximately 339.1 million estimated visits. That total places it ahead of Albertsons, which recorded approximately 323.8 million, and ShopRite, at approximately 322.2 million, in the underlying JLL chart.

The chain competes through natural and organic products, fresh foods, prepared meals, premium private labels and product-quality standards. Its stores can attract both full grocery trips and shorter visits for meals, specialty products and health-oriented purchases.

Whole Foods does not primarily compete on the lowest price. Its inclusion alongside Aldi and Trader Joe’s illustrates a broader division in grocery behavior: some households are moving toward discount formats, while others continue prioritizing fresh food, wellness, convenience and differentiated assortments.

JLL reported 9.8% visit growth in 2025, indicating much stronger momentum after the ranking period. Because the public figure does not provide a complete split between new stores and established-store traffic, the precise source of that growth cannot be determined. Whole Foods’ performance nevertheless supports the view that premium and fresh-format grocery retail can grow alongside discount operators.

The ranking’s dominant theme is the continuing strength of essential retail. Grocery stores received nearly 17.2 billion estimated visits in 2024, even as online grocery services expanded. Physical stores remain important because food purchases are recurring, time-sensitive and often involve products that consumers prefer to inspect personally.

Value is another central theme. Aldi’s rapid growth shows how strongly households have responded to discount prices, private labels and smaller formats. JLL’s later 2025 data reinforce that conclusion, with Aldi traffic increasing 8.3%.

The market is not moving in only one direction, however. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods also recorded strong subsequent growth. JLL described this as a divergence between value-focused operators and fresh-format specialty grocers. Traditional supermarkets still generated most grocery visits, but their share of traffic declined from 75.1% in 2019 to 73.2% in 2025.

Convenience remains fundamental. Large networks help Kroger, Publix, Safeway and Food Lion capture routine neighborhood trips. Smaller-format stores such as Walmart Neighborhood Market make essentials easier to access, while Meijer allows customers to combine grocery and general-merchandise purchases.

Geography also affects traffic. Publix, H-E-B and Food Lion benefit from population growth and dense coverage in Southern markets. JLL reported that the Southeast accounted for 215 of 400 tracked grocery-store openings in 2025, with Florida leading the expansion.

Total traffic measures the reach of an entire chain. It does not establish that every location is exceptionally busy.

A retailer can rank highly because it operates a large number of stores, because its individual locations receive substantial traffic, or because both conditions are true. Store openings can also increase total visits even if average traffic per location remains unchanged.

The available figures do not support a precise visits-per-location ranking. Important inconsistencies include:

Publix offers the closest period match because its 1,390-store count is dated December 28, 2024. Even there, a year-end count is not equivalent to the average number of stores operating throughout the year.

Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, H-E-B and Walmart Neighborhood Market appear to generate substantial traffic relative to their publicly described footprints, but describing them as definitive per-store leaders would require consistent 2024 average location counts and format-level coverage.

Mobile-location analytics provide valuable estimates, but they have important limitations:

Most importantly, visits are not equivalent to customers, transactions, sales, revenue, market share, basket size, margins or profitability.

The ranking also covers the grocery banners included in JLL and Placer.ai’s public analysis. It excludes important grocery-selling formats for which comparable annual totals were not disclosed, including Walmart Supercenters, Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Target, dollar stores, pharmacies and convenience chains.

High traffic creates more opportunities to generate transactions, increase loyalty-program participation, sell private-label products, fill prescriptions and expose customers to in-store advertising. Suppliers and consumer-goods companies also benefit from access to more shopping occasions.

For landlords, grocery anchors can provide recurring traffic that supports surrounding tenants. JLL reported that grocery-anchored retail-center vacancy was 3.5% in Q4 2024, while asking rents increased 3.1% year over year.

Investors and retail operators should nevertheless distinguish between total network visits, same-store traffic and financial performance. Expansion can lift total traffic without improving established locations, while promotions can generate visits without producing attractive margins.

Strong foot traffic is therefore best understood as sales potential rather than proof of financial success. A retailer must still convert visits into transactions, maintain profitable basket sizes and control labor, occupancy, distribution and promotional costs.