These 3 grocery chains dominate among Triangle shoppers, new report shows
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- In Triangle metros, three popular grocers had about 50% of the market share.
- Walmart, Harris Teeter and Food Lion continued to dominate the grocery market.
- Publix, Costco and Target trailed behind in Raleigh and Durham-Chapel Hill metros.
The same three grocers that have held the highest market share among Triangle shoppers for years continued to dominate in 2025.
Walmart, Harris Teeter and Food Lion maintained their popularity among customers in the Raleigh and Durham core based statistical areas, a new report from Chain Store Guide shows.
The report analyzes market share, or the percentage of sales a given grocer has in comparison to the whole market, based on average store sales in the area. A market share ranking is given for the Raleigh core based statistical area, which encompasses Wake, Franklin and Johnston counties, and the Durham-Chapel Hill core based statistical area, which includes Durham, Chatham, Orange and Person counties.
In both metros, Walmart, Harris Teeter and Food Lion had around 50% of all grocery sales last year.
While Walmart recorded the most sales in the Triangle area in 2025, around $1.84 billion, Food Lion has the most stores — 87 across the seven counties, according to the report.
Grocery store market share in Raleigh metro
In the Raleigh metro, Walmart had a market share of 20.1%, a slight decrease from its 2024 market share of 20.3%. Harris Teeter’s market share is 15%, an uptick from last year’s market share of 14.6%. Food Lion’s market share held steady at 14.6%.
The 2025 results continue a trend that has been in place since at least 2022, with Walmart holding the lead, and Harris Teeter and Food Lion following.
The grocers with the next highest market shares are Publix, at 6.9%, and Costco, at 6.7%. Both grocers have a smaller footprint in the area compared to Walmart, Harris Teeter and Food Lion.
However, Florida-based Publix has been growing in the area. It opened new stores on Buffaloe Road in Raleigh, on South Main Street in Rolesville and on NC Highway 50 North in Johnston County in 2025.
Grocery store market share in Durham-Chapel Hill metro
Just as in the Raleigh metro, Walmart led the Durham-Chapel Hill metro in 2025, increasing its hold to 21.5% from 21.3% in 2024.
Food Lion and Harris Teeter swapped positions from 2024. According to the new report, Harris Teeter had a 17.2% market share, and Food Lion had a 15.8% market share. Food Lion’s market share didn’t change from 2024, but Harris Teeter’s market share increased from 14.4%.
Target had the fourth-highest market share, at 7.4%, and Costco the fifth-highest, at 7.2%. These two retailers also had the fourth- and fifth-highest market shares in 2024.
