Albertsons vs Food Lion:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Food Lion had more branded searches than Albertsons among grocery chains in the United States. Food Lion had about 2.7 million branded searches, while Albertsons had 1.5 million. Food Lion made up 4.7% of all grocery chain searches we track, and Albertsons accounted for 2.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about grocery chains, neither Albertsons nor Food Lion appeared in any of the three answers.
Who do people search for more?
Food Lion, about 83% more searches than Albertsons
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 0 of 3 answers.
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Top grocery chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions, neither Albertsons nor Food Lion showed up in any of the three answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Aldi1st
Trader Joe's2nd
H-E-B3rd
Publix4th
Whole Foods Market5th
WinCo Foods5th
Wegmans7th
Kroger8th- +2 more
Food Lion–
Albertsons–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Aldi3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Trader Joe's2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Whole Foods Market2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
H-E-B2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
WinCo Foods2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Kroger1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Publix1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Wegmans1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Food Lion0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Albertsons0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
See every answer about grocery chains
3 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which grocery store chain is the best in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best supermarket chains in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which grocery chain in the US has the lowest prices?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“grocery stores”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“supermarkets”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.
Is Albertsons or Food Lion more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Albertsons and Food Lion by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 grocery chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Food Lion, Albertsons. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Trader Joe's | Aldi | Kroger | Safeway | Publix | Meijer | Food Lion | Wegmans | Whole Foods Market | H-E-B | WinCo Foods | Albertsons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 26.9% | 18% | 12.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| Nov 2025 | 24.9% | 16.7% | 13.7% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 5% | 4.1% | 5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.7% |
| Dec 2025 | 23.7% | 15.8% | 13% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 23% | 18.8% | 12.6% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 25.5% | 17.2% | 14% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 3% | 2.8% |
| Mar 2026 | 27.1% | 18.1% | 12.2% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 3% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| Apr 2026 | 23.8% | 19.4% | 13.1% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.6% |
| May 2026 | 26.8% | 18% | 12.1% | 8.1% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3% | 2.6% | 3% |
| Jun 2026 | 27.2% | 18.2% | 12.3% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 3% | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 22.7% | 18.6% | 12.5% | 10.2% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Aug 2026 | 23.3% | 19% | 12.8% | 8.6% | 7% | 7% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2.6% |
| Sep 2026 | 28.5% | 15.7% | 12.8% | 8.6% | 7% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 2.6% |
How has the Albertsons and Food Lion comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Food Lion was ahead of Albertsons in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Albertsons’ share of searches among grocery chains in the United States moved from 2.4% to 2.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.5M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Food Lion’s share of searches among grocery chains in the United States moved from 4.4% to 4.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.7M.
How did search popularity change for United States grocery chains in September 2026?
0 changes
Neither Albertsons nor Food Lion moved beyond provider rounding among grocery chains in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Albertsons’ and Food Lion’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Albertsons
1 branded search term
- albertsons
Food Lion
1 branded search term
- food lion
Other head-to-heads among grocery chains

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