These grocery stores in Canada just ranked as the best for in-store shopping

Are Costco, Loblaws and Walmart top grocery stores? 🛒

exterior of costco location in canada. right: aisle in a sobeys grocery store

Costco location in Canada. Right: Grocery aisle in a Sobeys store.

Senior Writer

A new ranking of grocery stores in Canada has revealed where you get the best in-store shopping experience.

If you shop at Costco, Loblaws or Walmart, you might be surprised by these top stores!

Recently, Leger released a study about the best retailers in Canada for 2025 which includes grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, department stores, and more.

Stores in Ontario, Quebec, and Western Canada — B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba — were ranked based on products, prices, services, location, customization and other factors

These are the best grocery stores in Ontario for in-store shopping:

  1. Fortinos
  2. Longo's
  3. Adonis Market
  4. Whole Foods Market
  5. Zehrs
  6. Farm Boy
  7. No Name
  8. Sobeys
  9. FreshCo
  10. Food Basics

That's followed by Your Independent Grocer, No Frills, Foodland, Independent City Market, Metro, Real Canadian Superstore, Loblaws, Nations, T&T, Valu-Mart and Rabba Fine Foods.

Wondering what happened to Costco and Walmart? The retailers were on the department store ranking, not the grocery store ranking.

In Ontario, Costco is first and Walmart is seventh in the department store category as the best for in-store shopping.

These are the best grocery stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba:

  1. Calgary Co-op
  2. Co-op Food
  3. Safeway
  4. Save-On-Foods
  5. Choices Market
  6. Whole Foods Market
  7. Thrifty Foods
  8. Nesters Market
  9. Fresh St. Market
  10. IGA and IGA Marketplace

That's followed by Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills and Buy-Low Foods.

Also, Costco ranks second and Walmart ranks sixth in the department store category for Western Canada.

These are the Quebec grocery stores that have the best in-store shopping:

  1. Avril
  2. Metro and Metro Plus
  3. IGA and IGA Extra
  4. Supermarché PA
  5. Rachelle-Béry
  6. Adonis
  7. Marché Richelieu
  8. Marché Ami
  9. Provigo and Provigo Le marché
  10. T&T Supermarché

That's followed by Super C, Maxi and Maxi & cie, Euromarché, Marché Bonichoix, Bonanza, Intermarché, Les Marchés Tradition, and Fruiterie Sami Fruits.

In Quebec, Costco is fourth and Walmart is sixth in the department store category.

No grocery stores in Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Quebec made the overall top 10 for this ranking of retailers with the best in-store shopping experience!

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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