Grocery & Supermarkets
This page is designed specifically to support the Certificate in Food Industry Management (FIM) program at the USC Marshall School of Business, but may be of use to anyone interested in food and grocery retailing, wholesaling, manufacturing or supply chain.
Below are some of the top resources for finding market and industry research:
For general overviews and market research reports, search terms like:
- Grocery
- Grocery stores OR supermarkets OR food retail
For related information, also look at the Food & Beverages tab.
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowIndustry Market Research reports and Industry Risk Ratings. Focuses on United States, but has some data on global markets.
- Passport This link opens in a new windowThe Passport (formerly GMID or Global Market Information Database) provides a wide range of consumer market and industry information in more than 80 countries around the world. It includes company profiles, some with SWOT analysis, country briefings, sector briefings, market research, industry watch articles and detailed Consumer Lifestyle reports. Provided by Euromonitor International.
- MarketResearch.com Academic This link opens in a new windowFind lengthy, detailed market reports or brief white papers describing all types of businesses. Covers international and US markets.
Listed below are links to trade publications and relevant industry news:
Note: A trade publication (often a magazine) is an information source that is intended for a very specific audience and will have content that appeals to that audience. The content may come directly from people within the industry, or it may come from freelance or staff writers that have vast experiences writing for that particular trade.
Professionals often subscribe to trade magazines in order to gather valuable information that will help them achieve something within their industry or field. Trade publications are a Marketer's secret weapon and can be helpful for tracking recent industry developments, identifying competitors or uncovering market opportunities.
- Grocery DiveLatest news covering the grocery industry with emphasis on "grocery delivery, online food shopping, shopper behavior, store formats, technology" and more.
- Independent GrocersPublished under Progressive Grocer and includes content on gourmet retailers.
- Natural Foods MerchandiserPublished under the New Hope Network.
- Winsight Grocery BusinessPreviously Grocery Headquarters magazine.
- Retail Customer ExperienceCovers all segments of retail but does include many articles on cutting edge applications for grocery stores and supermarkets.
Below are links to key industry associations:
Note: If your industry is not represented here, search Google with your industry name + "association". Not all content on these websites is free; you may need to be a member to access exclusive reports and data.
In some industries, associations might be referred to as;
- Guild OR federation OR society
- Foundation OR council
- Bureau OR forum
- Consumer Brands Association (CBA)Formerly known as the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
- Food Industry Business RoundtableSponsors Programs and Events and lists regulatory guidelines and resources for food safety.
- U.S. Grocery Retailer Preference Index, 2022Issued annually by Dunnhumby and includes supermarket rankings.
- U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, 2024The executive summary of the annual Food Marketing Institute's report.
- U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends: The impact of COVID-192020 report from FMI and the Hartman Group.
- Online Grocery Landscape Report, 2022Infographic published by Acosta and reviews grocery shopping behavior in multiple channels.
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Online GroceryA 2020 report from GetFabric.
- Brick Meets ClickTracks e-commerce in the grocery sector. Look under the 'Insights' tab for data and reports.
- Acosta - News & PublicationsContains reports, infographics, articles and other content.
- Grocery DoppioContains reports, articles and other trending content.
- Inmar Intelligence - Thought LeadershipReports covering a wide variety of topics related to the grocery industry (coupons, e-commerce, shopper insights, etc.)
- The Lempert ReportPublished by Phil Lempert's Supermarket Guru.
- The Shelby ReportNews and insights on many aspects of the food retail industry.
- Retail CPG and FMCGVarious reports from Nielsen IQ.
- FoodTech 2020Annual report from Thrive AgriFood listing the "top 50 growth stage companies disrupting the future of food and agriculture".
- Private Label Report, 2022Published annually by the Private Label Manufacturers Association.
- Consumer Demand for Private BrandsA 2021 report published by IRI.
- Foodservice 2025Published by the Hale Group and covers restaurants and supermarkets.
- Nourish Trend Report, 2022Contains in-depth overview of many organic, natural, and sustainable food trends.
- Reinventing the GrocerA 2022 report published by Deloitte.
- Grocery Transformation: How grocers' tech transformations are leading to greater profitabilityA 2022 report by IHL Group.
- Slow Road to Zero: Report card on U.S. supermarkets' path to zero food wasteA 2019 report from GroceryWaste.com
- Consumer Pulse SurveyA 2023 report from KPMG highlighting online and in-store grocery spend.
- Grocery Industry Digital Maturity Benchmark, 2022Issued by Incisiv.
Find key government data, including reports and statistics using the following resources:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a GlanceFood and beverage stores - NAICS 445
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a GlanceMerchant wholesalers, non-durable goods - NAICS 424
- USDA Agricultural Marketing ServiceContains reports on commodity distribution, shipping data, weekly retail activity reports, commodity procurement, fair trade practices and more.
- U.S. Census - Statistics of U.S. BusinessesGrocery - NAICS 4244
- Supermarket FactsAnnual data released by the Food Marketing Institute.
- The Progressive Grocer 100Progressive Grocer's annual ranking of the top 100 U.S. supermarket operators.
Books and Reference Sources
The Food Retailing Industry Speaks by Call Number: Business Ref. HD9321.1 .F58Annual 'State of the Industry' review published by the Food Marketing Institute.- Directory of Wholesale GrocersCall Number: Business Ref. HF5468 .A1D5Annual publication listing wholesale distributors, leading companies, and product lines.
- Grocery Distribution Analysis and Guide by Call Number: Business Ref. HD9321.3 .G7Publication Date: annual"An analysis of grocery distribution in the top 385 metropolitan areas" in the United States.
Grocery: the buying and selling of food in America by Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2017Hard copy available in Business HD9321.5 .R83 2017
Cornering the Market: independent grocers and innovation in American small business by Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2016
The Grocers: the rise and rise of the supermarket chains by Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2011Hard copy available in Grand Depository HF5469 .S48 1999x
The Trader Joe's Adventure: turning a unique approach to business into a retail and cultural phenomenon by Call Number: EBOOKPublication Date: 2005Hard copy available in Business HD9321.9 .T73 L49 2005
For more, search USC Libraries Catalog for books and periodicals using the following words and phrases:
- Grocery or Grocery Stores
- Grocery retailing
- Grocery trade
- Supermarkets
- Grocery shopping
- Food retailing or food industry
- Food distribution channels
- Produce trade