They Love BJ's: Wholesale Grocer Makes Top Retailers List

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Shoppers across the U.S. love their BJ's.

The Westborough-based wholesale chain was named the No. 14 most popular grocery store in the U.S. this week. The retail data company dunnhumby released its annual list of the top 15 grocery chains on Wednesday.

As popular as BJ's is, it wasn't the only Massachusetts company to make the list. Tewksbury-based Market Basket was ranked the No. 3 most popular grocery store in the nation behind Amazon Fresh and H-E-B, a Texas-based chain that serves the Southeast, Southwest and Mexico.

According to dunnhumby, the top concern for grocery shoppers is now price, a cornerstone of both BJ's and Market Basket. Shoppers also rated grocery stores higher for meeting new modes of shopping during the pandemic, the company found.

"The pandemic has massively accelerated changes in how customers buy their groceries, and their behaviors are continuing to evolve,” dunnhumby President Grant Steadman said in a news release. “2021 was the year that grocery retail became truly omni-channel. Retailers who delivered on their customers evolving needs in-store and online performed best."

Other local grocery chains based outside Massachusetts also made the list:

1. Amazon
2. H-E-B
3. Market Basket
4. Wegmans
5. Amazon Fresh
6. Aldi
7. Trader Joe’s
8. Sam’s Club
9. Costco
10. Walmart Neighborhood Market
11. Target
12. Publix
13. Walmart
14. BJs Wholesale
15. Fareway