Costco Overtakes Kroger as America’s No. 2 Grocery Retailer
October 28, 2026 | 3 min to read
Within grocery, Costco has overtaken Kroger to become the nation’s second-largest retailer by spending share, gaining share in the West.
Numerator has released its latest Retailer Market Share update, tracking retailers’ share of consumer spending across food & beverage and broader consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories for the latest 12 months every quarter.
CPG spending is increasingly concentrated among Walmart, Amazon and Costco, while traditional grocers such as Kroger and Albertsons continue to lose ground.
- Amazon is closing in on Costco to become the nation’s second-largest CPG retailer position. Amazon + Whole Foods gained 0.7 percentage points of CPG share year over year, the largest increase of any major retailer. Amazon now captures 8.1% of CPG spending, just 0.1 points behind Costco’s 8.2%.
- Costco overtakes Kroger in grocery as warehouse club competition diverges. Costco now captures 8.4% of food and beverage spending versus Kroger’s 8.2%, making it the second-largest grocery retailer by spending share. The shift comes as Kroger announces plans to invest $5 billion in lower prices to regain competitive ground. Costco also gained 0.5 percentage points of broader CPG share, led by gains in the West (+0.8 pts), while Sam’s Club lost 0.2 points nationally.
- Walmart’s CPG share gains mask a divide between younger and older shoppers. Walmart maintained its market leadership with 20.8% of CPG spending, up 0.1 points year over year. Its spending share increased more than 0.6 points among Gen Z and Millennial shoppers, while declining 0.3 points among Boomers.
CPG Market Share: Top 5 Retailers (By Dollar Share)
Sectors included: Grocery + Select departments from Baby, Health & Beauty, Household, Pet
| Rank | Retailer | 12ME 09/30/2024 | 12ME 09/30/2025 | 12ME 09/30/2026 |
| 1 | Walmart | 20.8% | 20.7% | 20.8% |
| 2 | Costco | 7.5% | 7.7% | 8.2% |
| 3 | Amazon + Whole Foods | 6.7% | 7.4% | 8.1% |
| 4 | Kroger | 7.1% | 6.8% | 6.7% |
| 5 | Sam’s Club | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.6% |
Grocery Market Share: Top 5 Retailers (By Dollar Share)
Sectors included: Grocery (food & beverage)
| Rank | Retailer | 12ME 09/30/2024 | 12ME 09/30/2025 | 12ME 09/30/2026 |
| 1 | Walmart | 20.2% | 20.1% | 20.3% |
| 2 | Costco | 7.7% | 7.9% | 8.4% |
| 3 | Kroger | 8.7% | 8.4% | 8.2% |
| 4 | Albertsons | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4.5% |
| 5 | Publix | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.1% |
Both grocery market share and CPG market share include all FMCG, Specialty, and eCommerce retailers and exclude alcohol and cannabis products. Data from Numerator Insights. Numerator has created an interactive press resource ranking the top 15 retailers by grocery and CPG market share. The page also shows CPG market share by generation and census region, with downloadable data and chart images available for use in media coverage.
Methodology: Purchase data is based on Numerator’s Total Commerce Panel, which tracks longitudinal U.S. purchasing behavior across more than 50,000 retailers. Market share comparisons reflect the latest 12 months ending September 30, 2026, versus the prior-year period. CPG includes food and beverage (excluding alcohol & cannabis beverages), select baby, health and beauty, household, and pet food and treat categories.