Let’s congratulate four grocery retailers with remarkable reputations

Once again, it’s exciting that four grocery retailers with strong private brands programs made the top 10 list in The Harris Poll’s annual Reputation Quotient (RQ) study. This survey ranks the 100 most visible companies (as identified by U.S. consumers) based on their reputation in six different categories: emotional appeal, products and services, social responsibility, vision and leadership, workplace environment, and financial performance.

Not surprisingly, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets, which ranked No. 2 overall behind Amazon, came in first among supermarket chains. Wegmans, the leader in the “workplace environment” category, is widely regarded as a phenomenal place to work, which translates into superb customer service.

Ranked No. 6 on the list and in second place among grocery retailers, H-E-B polled especially well in the “social responsibility” category. That’s also not surprising. With its own disaster-relief trucks containing mobile kitchens, H-E-B led efforts to feed the displaced and the hungry in the wake of last year’s disastrous flooding in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Ranking No. 8 in the Harris Poll RQ study, Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix Super Market came in third among grocery chains, while Batavia, Ill.-headquartered Aldi U.S. ranked fourth among food retailers and No. 10 on the main list. Though Publix and Aldi take very different approaches to the grocery business, both scored especially highly on “emotional appeal” as did Wegmans.

Publix captivates customers with its fresh-prepared offerings such as signature fried chicken, Wegmans wows with its outstanding assortment of fresh produce and premium-quality products, and Aldi amazes consumers with its rock-bottom prices on quality fresh food and packaged products.

Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema notes that consumers increasingly care about what companies stand for. The highest-ranked retailers engage with their communities and treat their employees like family members.

Wegmans, H-E-B, Publix and Aldi do these things and also win with their exceptional store brand products and unique in-store experiences. These chains help ensure the relatively high regard the public has today for grocery retailers in general — a mindset that is fueling the growth and popularity of store brand products and the realization that each retailer has its own intangible brand.