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Walmart and Kroger would be hit hard by SNAP benefit cuts: Democratic lawmakers warn Republicans could make steep cuts to food assistance, producing significant challenges for grocers.

Grocery is the second-largest ecommerce category we track, garnering $220.48 billion in 2025, according to our 鈥淯S Digital Grocery Forecast 2025鈥� report. Walmart is the top digital grocery retailer, capturing 31.6% of US grocery ecommerce sales in 2025, followed by Amazon (22.6%) and Kroger (8.6%).

Albertsons looks ahead: With the proposed Kroger merger in the rearview mirror, the grocer raised its annual profit forecast and mapped out its growth plans.

Albertsons blames Kroger for blocked merger: The grocer is seeking billions in damages, claiming the latter failed to make necessary concessions to appease regulators.

FTC scores another antitrust victory after judge blocks Kroger-Albertsons merger: The deal would reduce grocery competition and raise prices for shoppers, the court decided.

In November, retailers made strategic moves across grocery, apparel, and beauty. Amazon turned Black Friday into a weeklong event and launched its Shein competitor, Haul. Meanwhile, e.l.f. Beauty strengthened its value proposition through a new Dollar General partnership, while Kroger announced plans for specialized Asian experience stores in North Texas. Here are our eight unofficial picks for the most interesting retailers in November.

As the US population diversifies, retailers like Kroger and Save A Lot are opening new stores catering to Hispanic and Asian consumers for a more personalized and engaging shopping experience.

Retailers, streamers embrace shoppable TV ads to shorten the path to purchase: WBD, Amazon, Kroger, and The CW Network are relying on the format to drive product discovery and sales.

Retailers prepare for looser antitrust scrutiny under Trump: The environment is likely to be more favorable for blockbuster mergers like the Kroger-Albertsons deal.

Grocers experiment with new formats and products to target Asian, Hispanic consumers: Kroger, Walmart, and Save A Lot are among the retailers looking to attract a more diverse audience.

Kroger benefited from shoppers鈥� deal-seeking behaviors in Q2: Despite a difficult operating environment, the grocer won over consumers with lower prices and expanded private label selections.

Zooming in: Grocery ecommerce鈥檚 up-and-to-the-right trajectory is driving retailers like Kroger and Amazon to invest in omnichannel grocery solutions to capture further growth. Kroger is doubling down on ecommerce with its launch of a dedicated business unit focused on streamlining and enhancing the online customer experience.

Kroger, for example, plans to launch more than 900 private-label products this year. Just last month, it rolled out a slate of trend-forward items like instant mushroom tea and Hatch Chile kettle-style tortilla chips.

Albertsons is also working with vendors to lower prices, but its smaller size relative to companies like Walmart and Costco gives it less room to negotiate concessions鈥攚hich was one of the considerations that pushed it to seek a merger with Kroger. One lever it can pull to help margins is to increase its penetration of private labels, which accounted for 25.4% of Q4 sales.

With $400 million in media under management and clients like Biossance, Puma, and Gerber Childrenswear, the agency is deepening its commitment to platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger. Crush stands out for its performance-aligned model, charging based on growth instead of traditional agency fees鈥攁 strategy tailored to ecommerce-native clients.

Kroger and Albertsons are also vulnerable, with 9.1% and 6.5% shares of SNAP grocery dollars, respectively. Among non-grocers, Amazon and Target command 15.2% and 5.6% of SNAP recipients鈥� non-grocery spending, while Home Depot holds a notable 5.5% share鈥攈ighlighting just how far SNAP dollars extend across retail categories.

Sam鈥檚 Club, Costco, and BJ鈥檚 are among the most highly-ranked general merchandise retailers in the US, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index鈥攂eating out Walmart, Kroger, and Dollar General by significant margins. That鈥檚 in part due to investing in tools like Sam鈥檚 Club鈥檚 Scan and Go service and Costco鈥檚 warehouse inventory checker, which enhance the famously bare-bones club experience.

Those initiatives include lower delivery fees and promotions, as well as moves by some grocers鈥攕uch as Kroger and Schnucks鈥攖o match their pricing on Instacart鈥檚 marketplace to in-store prices. Adding restaurant delivery has also helped increase order frequency, especially among Instacart+ members who receive free delivery on orders over $35.

Here鈥檚 how ad buyers ranked the retail media networks of 14 leading CPG-focused retailers鈥攊ncluding Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, Amazon, Costco Wholesale, CVS, Instacart, Kroger, Target, and Walmart鈥攁ccording to the attributes they value most.

The opportunity: The deal will let DoorDash provide a more personalized experience and give Ibotta, which partners with grocers like Kroger, Walmart, and Publix, access to a broader consumer base.

But Instacart鈥檚 attractiveness as an advertising platform also depends on the health of its core grocery delivery business鈥攚hich could face headwinds as grocers like Kroger invest in their own ecommerce capabilities and consumers look for ways to save on rising grocery bills.