Kroger vs Safeway:Which is searched more in the United States?
In September 2026, Kroger had more branded searches than Safeway among grocery chains in the United States. Kroger had about 7.5 million branded searches, while Safeway had 5 million. Kroger made up 12.8% of all grocery chain searches we track, and Safeway accounted for 8.6%.
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Is Kroger or Safeway more popular in search?
Compare the supermarket chains people in the US do their grocery shopping at. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of searches by month for Kroger, Safeway. 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 Kroger and Safeway comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Kroger was ahead of Safeway in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kroger’s share of searches among grocery chains in the United States moved from 12.1% to 12.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 7.5M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Safeway’s share of searches among grocery chains in the United States moved from 8.1% to 8.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 5M.
How did search popularity change for United States grocery chains in September 2026?
0 changes
Neither Kroger nor Safeway 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 Kroger’s and Safeway’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.
Other head-to-heads among grocery chains

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