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Texas Grocery Chain H-E-B Achieves First Place On Retailer Preference Index List

The grocery company headquartered out of San Antonio ranked higher than both Amazon and Costco
Pearland,,Texas,,Usa,-,March,1,,2022:,A,H-e-b,Supermarket
Photo: JHVEPhoto | Shutterstock

Texas-based grocery chain H-E-B has been ranked as the number one American grocery store on the Retailer Preference Index (RPI) list by data science company dunnhumby.

According to news publication Dallas Business Journal, this is the sixth year that dunnhumby has conducted an RPI rankings examining the grocery market nationwide.

For the study, dunnhumby utilized consumer attitudes and financial outcomes as factors to rank a total of 63 American retailers that are in the business of selling everyday food and non-food products.

The San Antonio-headquartered grocery company achieved a score of 72% for consumers that had an emotional attachment to the store. Behind H-E-B in the rankings were prominent retailers Costco (67%) and Amazon (64%).

When it came to the financial performances of each retailer, the rankings of the top three retailers did not differ whatsoever. H-E-B scored a 46%, which was once again the best mark out of every retailer in the category. Costco trailed behind in the number two spot at 25%, while Amazon was found to have a score of 17%.

And so, what contributed to H-E-B's success? According to dunnhumby's RPI, significant factors like the quality of products, the prices, rewards and promotions all contributed to H-E-B's number-one ranking, even more so now than before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

H-E-B has over 430 locations scattered across both Texas and Mexico, and opened its first Collin County store last year.

H-E-B first broke ground for the Frisco store in June 2021. Local Profile previously reported H-E-B Frisco’s first location found great success in the city when it opened on September 21, 2022. When doors opened at 6 a.m. the official headcount was over 1,500 people. The line snaked around the front and side of the store. 

Recently, H-E-B confirmed its second Frisco location, with construction possibly starting this June. (H-E-B spokesperson Mabrie Jackson told Local Profile, “We have not finalized a construction start date.”) This year, H-E-B will also open stores in Allen and McKinney.

According to a Forbes list, H-E-B earned almost $39 billion in revenue last year and was among the top 10 biggest private companies in the U.S.