For the first time, The Harris Poll surveyed consumers about leading regional grocery retailers.
The 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend® (EQ) study, which measures brand equity for more than 1,500 brands across 170 categories, finds traditional grocery store brands rank highest overall in three of the four regions surveyed. The EQ index examines three key factors of brand equity: familiarity, quality and purchase consideration.
This is the first time in the study's 26-year history that Americans were surveyed about grocery retailers on a regional level using the four census regions: West, Midwest, Northeast and South. A mix of grocery retailer formats was included in the study, including traditional grocery stores (e.g. Kroger, Giant), mass retailers with grocery sections (e.g. Walmart, Target), discount grocery stores (e.g. Aldi, Food 4 Less) and club stores with grocery sections (e.g. Sam's Club, Costco), as well as the specialty grocers Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets. The study also awards “Brand of the Year” status to regionally focused, traditional grocery store brands in the Midwest, Northeast and South regions.