Supermarket News asks food retailers every year “which alternative channel has posed the biggest threat to Center Store sales in supermarkets?” Walmart has consistently remained the top threat, but the fear they put into supermarket competitors is obviously diminishing.
In 2009, 64% of respondents listed Walmart as the number one threat. In 2010, 50% of respondents answered the same way, and last year, the percentage fell to 45.3%. In the most recent survey, Walmart’s total fell to 34%.
Dollar stores have emerged as a significant threat to supermarkets, as 22.6% of respondents listed them in the top spot. Last year dollar stores received only 17% of the votes.
Club stores (Costco, BJ’s) and limited assortment discounters (Save-A-Lot, Aldi) finished third and fourth, respectively.