Fortinos, Calgary Co-op and Avril take the lead in customer experience
Fortinos has reclaimed the top spot in grocery customer experience in Ontario, according to Leger’s latest annual ranking. The retailer has been trading places with Longo’s in recent years, with Fortinos leading in 2023, Longo’s ranking No. 1 in 2024, and Fortinos regaining the crown this year by a slight margin.
“The competition here has remained very, very close over the years with Longo’s typically excelling on things like pricing and Fortinos excelling on things like promotional offers,” said Luc Dumont, Leger’s SVP, consumer insights, Central Canada, on a recent webinar unveiling the results.
Leger’s 2025 WOW Index (in store) is based on online surveys of recent visitors to 350 retailers in 26 sectors in three regions: Ontario, Western Canada and Quebec. The index is based on a store’s performance across 16 customer experience dimensions related to products, price, service, store and customization, with each retailer given a score out of 100.
Following Fortinos (79.4) and Longo’s (79), the top 10 list in Ontario includes: Adonis Market (76.1), Whole Foods Market (73.1), Zehrs (73), Farm Boy (72.6), No Name (71.6), Sobeys (70.4), FreshCo (68.5) and Food Basics (66.4).
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Dumont noted that No Name was measured in the rankings for the first time. “They debuted seventh place in the category, but ahead of all other discount banners, which highlights the fact that pricing remains the most significant driver of customer experience in this sector, so this is a banner certainly to look out for,” he said.
In Western Canada, the top 10 in grocery customer experience are: Calgary Co-op (78.5), CO-OP Food (74.2), Safeway (69.9), Save-On-Foods (69.5), Choices Market (68.5), Whole Foods Market (68.4), Thrifty Foods (67.2), Nesters Market (63.5), Fresh St. Market (63.3) and IGA/IGA Marketplace (61.9).
“Our grocery category in the West has been a little more of a challenge for a lot of retailers,” said Catherine Dawson, Leger’s SVP, consumer insights, Western Canada. “There have been a lot of declines in this category, but at the same time, some really strong performers.”
She added that Calgary Co-op was evaluated for the first time and made it to the top of the list, just ahead of CO-OP Food. “We did see an improvement as well for Safeway, but again, there were a lot of retailers that did experience a lot of declines. Tough category with the increases in prices right now.”
Meanwhile, the Quebec grocers that rose to the top are: Avril (79.5), Metro/Metro Plus (70.4), IGA/IGA Extra (70.3), Supermarché PA (70), Rachelle-Béry (68.1), Adonis (66.3), Marché Richelieu (64.8) Marché Ami and Provigo/Provigo Le marché (64.1).
A rosier retail picture
Overall, Dumont said that after many years of challenges, from labour shortages and supply chain issues to inflation and rising prices, in-store retail is now entering a more positive era. Consumers continue to be eager to return to stores and shopping is shifting back from having been a stressful experience to a pleasant activity.
“This year, the message is clear: Retailers have been very resilient,” Dumont said. “They’ve overcome a number of obstacles to maintain and enhance a strong customer experience. The shift is reflected in rising WOW scores across multiple sectors.”
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Still, price remains the No. 1 irritant for Canadians, especially in grocery and some clothing stores. “But in that regard, some banners are improving,” noted Dumont.
Digital experiences that WOW
When it comes to the online experience, WOW Index scores are improving significantly compared to last year, said Dumont, adding that visitors are having better online experiences. He also noted that visitation rates have gone down slightly, except for discount stores, which continue to see growth.
While higher prices are an irritant online as well, Dumont said it’s a bit on a downward trend as retailers are more prominently showcasing what’s on sale.
For the ranking, visitors to around 300 company websites and mobile were surveyed, spanning 27 business sectors. The WOW Digital Index is based on a retailer’s performance on 14 non-transactional dimensions of the online experience, from visual and experience to delivery and post-purchase.
In the food category, Les Fermes Lufa/Lufa Farms was No. 1 and 14th overall, with a score of 89.8. “They have been ranked first before. And while they’re not necessarily the most competitive on price, their key strengths lie in quality and quantity of information, inspiration, advice, discoveries and brand image in this sector,” said Dumont.
The top 10 list in digital also included Amazon grocery and Whole Foods Market (77.5), Voilà by IGA (75), My online grocery by Metro (72.3), Instacart (72), PC Express by Provigo/Loblaw (69.4), Cornershop by Uber (67.9), Avril (66.6), Super C (66.1) and Food Basics (64.3).
