Hall of Fame: Kroger

First Place: Wegmans

Multiple locations.
wegmans.com

Second Place: Aldi

Third Place: Whole Foods Market

Kroger continues to get local tastes right, with a little assist from Ukrop’s baking. As for Wegmans, it didn’t exactly sneak into town last May when it opened its first Richmond-area store in Midlothian. “They just came out in droves,” says Todd Strassner, general manager of the Short Pump market, which opened in August. Not a shock in Richmond, where feelings run strong about grocers. “Even though there are a lot of supermarkets, a lot of customers felt ever since Ukrop’s, there’s been a gap in some of the family feel,” Strassner says. “We didn’t know everything. We had to listen to the customer.” As a result, Wegmans carries more local beers, barbecue sauces, Hanover tomatoes and Duke’s mayonnaise.