H-E-B Tops Trust Ratings List for 3rd Consecutive Year

Texas grocer H-E-B has landed at No. 1 on the 2017 Temkin Trust Ratings list from Temkin Group, marking the third year in a row the San Antonio-based grocer has topped the Waban, Mass.-based customer experience research and consulting firm’s list.

The list, which “examines the trust that consumers have that an organization will operate on their behalf,” shows the San Antonio-based retailer scoring at 82 percent – compared with 80 percent in the previous two years – tying with automobile brand Mercedes-Benz.

Also placing on this year’s top-20 list are Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix, in ninth place at 76 percent, compared with fourth place at 76 percent last year. The only other grocer among the top 20 this year is Hannaford, an Ahold Delhaize banner with its headquarters in Scarborough, Maine, in 15th place at 74 percent.

Worth noting is the strong trust in Seattle-based ecommerce giant Amazon.com – which is becoming a stronger competitor in the grocery space – with 73 percent last year and 74 percent this year.

Food retailers missing from the list this year that made it last year include Trader Joe’s, which ranked at No. 7 at 75 percent; Costco, which tied with Trader Joe’s; Hy-Vee, which took 10th place at 73 percent; and BJ’s Wholesale Club, at No. 12 at 72 percent.

In terms of overall industry trust scores, supermarket chains took top ranking, at 62 percent, followed by auto dealers and investment firms, at 66 and 65 percent, respectively.