Just a few months ago, as the pandemic began to take hold of American life, consumers were hoarding groceries and household staples. Sales at Walmart, Costco, and Kroger spiked, but the grocery boom has since evened out as restaurants reopen and people lose the urge to panic buy.
According to Nielsen, US retailers' food and beverage sales grew 11.5% in August compared with last year, compared to a 31.2% year-over-year growth in March. August delivery and curbside pickup sales totaled $5.7 billion, down from May's $6.6 billion and June's $7.2 billion, as consulting firm Brick Meets Click reports.
According to CNN, Kroger said that sales dropped from mid-July to mid-August, partially due to the end of federal stimulus and reduced food stamp benefits. Kroger, Walmart, and, Costco stocks have gained 14%, 16%, and 17% respectively in 2020, and have all have declined this month.
Costco's Apple App Store ratings MoM growth has been declining all summer.
Meanwhile, regional grocers and membership clubs seem to be setting themselves up for success. Ahold Delhaize, which owns Stop & Shop and Food Lion, saw a 127% increase in online sales for the second quarter.
Publix's App Store ratings count has exploded by 164% YTD. The southeastern grocer saw net and comparable sales jump 20% in the fiscal 2020 second quarter.
App Store ratings for the Northeastern membership-only warehouse chain BJ's Wholesale Club have gone up by 155% over the past year.
As people emerge from quarantine and return to some semblance of normalcy, they may continue to find comfort in their local grocers over big box retailers.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online, jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings, and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
