What grocery store do Kentuckians visit the most? See how 5 major chains stack up

With 8 million more visits then the next leading grocery chain, Walmart reigns supreme as the top choice for Kentuckians stocking the cupboards.

The superstore, with 93 locations in the Bluegrass State, saw more than 12.8 million visits here from March 2020 through February 2022.

The data, provided by SafeGraph, shows foot traffic among five retailers offering groceries in Kentucky — FiveStar Food Mart, Kroger, Meijer, Save-A-Lot and Walmart. A stay at the location for more than 4 minutes was considered a visit.

The traffic counts may come as little surprise as Walmart Inc., while offering much more than groceries, remains the nation’s biggest food retailer. During the pandemic, it saw sales soar, including a 74% increase in online sales during the first months of coronavirus-related shutdowns. Total revenue for Walmart’s fiscal 2022 year came to $572.8 billion, up 2.4% over the prior year, the company reported in an earnings release Feb. 17.

Kroger proved the second most popular grocery location in Kentucky by foot traffic, according to SafeGraph data, with more than 4.7 million visits over the same period.

With the state’s shoppers generally clocking at or around 800,000 monthly visits across the five retailers listed, traffic spiked considerably in December 2021. Of the more than 2 million grocery visits that month, trips to Walmart accounted for more than half.

This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.