special report
The world's 50 best grocers
What makes a grocer one of the best in the world? The Grocer set out to find the formula based on six categories…
We present 'The World's 50 Best Grocers'
We present ‘The World’s 50 Best Grocers’, as chosen by a panel of experts. Do you agree with our choices?
World's 50 best grocers
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7-Eleven Subscription
7-Eleven has “embraced demand for a convenience lifestyle” like no-one else…
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Albert Heijn/Ahold Subscription
With “a great range of formats” and as “a leading European retailer on its convenience offer”, Albert Heijn has “recovered strongly…
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Aldi/Trader Joe’s Subscription
With its rock bottom prices, clever advertising and increased range, Aldi is growing at 30% in the UK…
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Alfamart Subscription
Alfamart is one of two leading convenience players in Indonesia, and is expanding rapidly…
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Auchan Subscription
Controlled by the Mulliez family, Auchan opened its first store in 1961…
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Borough Market Subscription
Established in 1755, this daily wholesale market supplies many of London’s finest restaurants…
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Cencosud SA Subscription
Supermarkets The “leading local retailer in South America”, Chile-based Cencosud grew 20% last year…
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Coles Subscription
Australia’s Woolworths had better watch its back. In 2012, supermarket chain Coles again outperformed its bigger rival…
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Dean & DeLuca Subscription
Dean & DeLuca started out in New York City in 1977 and is now a global brand synonymous with gourmet food retail.
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Deli de Luca Subscription
Design and layout are the watchwords of the founding partners of this Norwegian convenience chain…
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Dia Subscription
Spanish hard discounter Dia saw its profits rocket by 55% last year as recession- hit Spanish shoppers sought out a bargain.
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Eataly Subscription
A “brilliant concept that exploits the foodie in us all”, the first Eataly opened in Turin in 2007…
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Edeka/Nah und Gut Subscription
This German retail giant was singled out for the “revitalisation of its supermarket format” following years of decline…
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El Corte Inglés Subscription
This family-run chain – “one of the most prestigious brands in the Spanish market”…
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Fairway Market Subscription
Fairway started as a neighbourhood market in the 1930s on New York’s Upper West Side…
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Falabella/Tottus Supermarkets Subscription
With annual revenue of $9.4bn, Falabella is Chile’s second-largest retail company…
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Food Bazaar Subscription
Supermarkets Food Bazaar, India-based Future Group’s flagship chain, combines the best of Western and Indian values…
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Fortnum & Mason Subscription
Famed for its “beautiful façade” and “eye-catching window displays”, Fortnums opened on its current site on Piccadilly in 1707…
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Fruit & Veg City Subscription
Borrowing from the Whole Foods Market model, Fruit & Veg City’s Food Lover’s Market was for discerning foodies…
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Groupe Casino Subscription
From its “dominant position in [Brazil], one of the world’s most promising retail markets”…
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Harris Teeter Subscription
Harris Teeter has come a long way in the past decade…
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Jerónimo Martins/Biedronka Subscription
In its domestic market, JMR operates the biggest supermarket in Portugal…
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La Boqueria, Barcelona Subscription
This large public market, which has been around in one guise or another since 1207, is one of Barcelona’s favourite tourist haunts…
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Lidl Subscription
Founded in Germany in the 1930s as a wholesaler, Lidl is today one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe.
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Loblaw Subscription
With sales of CAD$32bn, and more than 1,000 stores trading under 22 different banners, Loblaw is Canada’s “largest…
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Lotte Shopping Co Subscription
Operating a number of different formats, including department stores and discount stores…
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Lulu Subscription
The retail division of Emke Group is one of the fastest-growing supermarket chains in the Middle East…
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Magnit Subscription
Magnit’s aggressive expansion strategy in Russia – focused on c-stores and hypermarkets…
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Marks & Spencer Subscription
M&S has been a pioneer in grocery innovation since before the war and invented the chilled ready meals category almost single-handedly…
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Mercadona Subscription
Spain’s largest retailer has “positively thrived” in the country’s austere economy as it developed a hybrid discounter approach…
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Nakumatt Subscription
Established in 2005, Nakumatt is “doing remarkable things in East Africa”…
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Ocado Subscription
Ocado has struggled to make money, but customers - and our judges - are still fans…
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Oxxo Subscription
In little over a decade, Oxxo has “set the benchmark for local convenience grocery in Latin America”…
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Picard Subscription
Retailers caught up in the horsemeat scandal take note…
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Pick n Pay Subscription
Supermarkets/convenience Pick n Pay is the supermarket of choice for many middle-income African consumers…
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Publix Super Markets Subscription
Supermarkets One of southern America’s premier retailers, with more than 1,100 stores in six states…
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Quinta Fresca Subscription
There aren’t too many online retailers that are 23 years old, but La Plata, Buenos Aires-based Quinta Fresca…
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Sainsbury’s Subscription
With more than 1,000 UK stores, fastgrowing online and convenience store businesses and a reputation for highquality products…
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Shoprite Subscription
Operating in 16 markets across the Sub- Sahara, and with a CAGR of 10.6% since 2008…
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South Melbourne Market Subscription
Food market Selling bananas and potatoes alongside neck massages, haircuts and eyebrow…
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Spinneys Subscription
Founded by a British army officer stationed in Egypt in 1924, Spinneys has grown into one of the Gulf’s leading retailers…
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Stew Leonard’s Subscription
Supermarkets “Just a fun place to be,” these “quirky” stores – three in Connecticut, one in New York…
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Tesco Subscription
“Increasingly nimble for a monolithic operation”, Tesco is “a class operator”, impressing judges…
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Unimarc Subscription
Originally owned by the Catholic Church in Chile, Umimarc has “led the industry” with its loyalty programme called The Club…
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Waitrose Subscription
“My favourite grocer in the world,” said one (international) judge of this upmarket retailer…
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Walmart Subscription
It “perfected the big box format” and “makes excellent use of supply chain data” to “provide exceptional value”…
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Wegmans Subscription
Consumer Reports rated Wegmans the best large US grocery chain in 2012…
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Whole Foods Market Subscription
Supermarkets “The most impressive thing about Whole Foods is the scale,” said one judge…
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Woolworths (South Africa) Subscription
Woolworths is a retail all-rounder in the mould of Wal-Mart and Tesco, though with a far smaller geographic footprint…
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Zaffari & Bourbon Subscription
From its HQ in Porto Alegre, Z&B is the fifth-largest food retailer in Brazil, with 29 supermarkets…
