Grocery reputations fall in recent corporate rankings

Which grocery brand has the best reputation among consumers? Depends who you ask. Both Canadian Business and Marketing magazines recently ranked Canada’s top brands, with slightly different results.

Canadian Business’ best-loved brands issue, published June 13, saw Metro ranked the highest among grocers in 14^th place, down from 9^th last year. Loblaw also dropped to 15^th spot from 13^th last year.

Sobeys, meanwhile, made a huge jump: to 18^th spot from 28^th a year ago.

Drug-store chains did especially well on the Canadian Business list, coming in first place (Jean Coutu Group) and third (Shoppers Drug Mart)

The Canadian Business list ranked the reputations of the 50 largest companies in Canada that deal with the public.

Meanwhile, trade journal Marketing, in co-operation with Leger Marketing, ranked the 100 most trusted brands in Canada in a recent issue.

Among the Big Three grocers, Loblaw finished highest: in 45^th place. That was a big drop from last year’s 28^th place showing.

Metro and Sobeys also saw declines. Sobeys came in 67^th (down from 46 last year), while Metro fell to 78 from 75.

Several consumer packaged goods companies scored well in the Marketing survey: Kellogg in 3^rd place, Kraft (7^th), McCain (14^th) and General Mills (16^th).

Meanwhile, in its June 20^th issue, Maclean's listed the Top 50 socially responsible corporations in Canada.

Loblaw made the list for, among other things, its efforts to cut shopping bag use, increase local food available at its stores and for its organic waste program.

Several CPG firms also made the Maclean’s list, including Campbell’s, Danone, H.J. Heinz, Kellogg, L’Oreal, Pepsi, and Procter & Gamble.

Marketing magazine, Canadian Business and Maclean’s are owned by Canadian Grocer’s parent company, Rogers Media.