H-E-B ranked no. 1 grocery store in the U.S. for third straight year

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H-E-B's, 3501 Clear Lake City Blvd. , Houston, Texas new 106,000-square-foot grocery store Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in Houston. The store opens in Clear Lake on Wednesday, Feb. 17. This is an area people say has a severe lack of grocery options despit

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What we know:

Texas - H-E-B has been ranked the No. 1 grocery store in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, according to a study by Dunnhumby, a global customer data science company. This marks the fourth time in eight years that H-E-B has claimed the top spot.

The Texas-based supermarket beat out major competitors, including Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Amazon, and Costco.

Dig deeper:

The ranking comes from Dunnhumby’s Annual Retailer Preference Index (RPI), which evaluates customer and financial data from the 72 largest grocery chains in the U.S. The index considers value, price fairness, and quality.

What they're saying:

Dunnhumby surveyed customers about why they chose H-E-B as their top grocer. Here are some of their responses:

• "Clean and well-maintained premises. Easy to locate items with the help of their app. Everything is good."
• "I like the feel of shopping at H-E-B. The store is easy to navigate, and there’s always something new to find."
• "It helps out our local community in times of need."
• "I love the freshness and the quality of their food—their produce, their meat, their seafood. Their prices are very comparable to other grocery stores and, most of the time, even better for the quality of food you’re purchasing."

Everything is bigger and better in Texas… Even the spacious aisles in H-E-B.

A worker places products on the shelves inside of the new H-E-B store, Monday, June 25, 2018, in Bellaire. It's the first two-story H-E-B to open in the Houston area. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Photo by Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via G

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By the numbers:

The analysis revealed that customer preferences were almost evenly split between quality, savings, and a balance of the two:

• 30% are quality-driven.
• 34% prioritize savings.
• 36% value a balance between quality and savings.

H-E-B was the only grocery chain to rank at the top in all three categories. Other popular stores, including Trader Joe’s, Amazon, and Walmart, showed more variability in their rankings.

Top grocery store ranking:

1. H-E-B
2. Market Basket
3. Costco
4. WinCo
5. Aldi
6. Amazon/Amazon Fresh
7. Trader Joe’s
8. Sam’s Club
9. Wegmans
10. ShopRite

Local perspective:

H-E-B is set to open its first store in Dallas County. The company recently bought a 10-acre property at the southeast corner of Hillcrest Road and LBJ Freeway in North Dallas.

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H-E-B announces plans for first store in Dallas

It's official! Dallas is the new home of Texas' favorite grocery store. Here's what we know about H-E-B's first location in the city.

Other DFW locations include Allen, Frisco, Fort Worth, McKinney, and Plano. Future stores are planned for Forney, Irving, Melissa, Rockwall, and Prosper.

Big picture view:

KATY, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 21: People line up outside before a grand opening event Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, at a new HEB store in Katy. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

For Texans, H-E-B’s top ranking likely comes as no surprise. Since opening in San Antonio in 1942, the chain has become a staple across the state. FOX 4 and other FOX stations have reported massive crowds and lines whenever new locations open, further showing brand’s supreme reputation.