Recent research from Placer.ai investigated changes in the grocery format in 2024. Placer.ai noted that two segments have been leading category-wide visit growth—"specialty and fresh format stores, which focus on produce, organic foods and culturally specific items (think Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market and H Mart, to name a few), and value grocery chains like Aldi, WinCo Foods and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.”

The specialty stores and value grocery chain segments offer markedly different shopping experiences, said Placer.ai. “Specialty chains tend to emphasize harder-to-find ingredients and fresh produce—sometimes even at higher price points than traditional grocery stores—while value grocery stores focus on affordability. But both categories are experiencing outsize visit growth in 2024, highlighting consumers’ dual interest in both quality and value.”

In July and August 2024, traditional supermarkets, specialty grocers, and value chains all experienced positive year-over-year visit growth. However, traditional grocery stores saw a 3.1% increase in July and a 0.9% uptick in August, while value and specialty chains saw growth ranging from 4.7% to 7.7% during the two months.

In September 2024, year-over-year visits to traditional grocery stores fell by 0.5%, while value and specialty chains saw 5.0% and 5.2% increases, respectively.

In October, Placer.ai reported that Trader Joe’s, in particular, has seen outsized success in 2024, citing the search for value and a strong appeal to single households as drivers of its success.

In September, Amazon jumped into the affordable grocery lane with the launch of its private label Amazon Saver brand.