Longo’s, CO-OP Food and Avril take first place in customer experience
Longo’s is back on top for customer experience in Ontario, reclaiming the No. 1 position in the grocery category in Leger’s 2026 WOW Index. Longo’s and Fortinos have traded places at the top of the ranking for several years, with Fortinos leading the category in 2025.
In the grocery sector, “there’s a lot of push and pull between price, experience and value,” said Luc Dumont, senior VP, consumer insights at Leger, in an interview with Canadian Grocer. “That being said, a small number of grocers—with Longo’s leading the pack—pulled ahead by doubling down on their in-store experience, in a way that feels easier, more intuitive and a bit more human.”
Leger’s WOW Index is based on online surveys of recent visitors to more than 350 retailers across 26 sectors in Ontario, Western Canada and Quebec. Retailers are evaluated across 16 in-store experience dimensions related to products, price, service, store and personalization. Based on these evaluations, they’re given a composite score out of 100.
Longo’s, which scored 83.6, was followed by Chalo! FreshCo (76.2), a South Asian-focused banner that was included in the ranking for the first time, while Fortinos moved down to third place (73.6).
During a recent webinar unveiling the findings, Dumont said one of the biggest shifts in the retail industry is price sensitivity, but cost concerns aren’t universal. “What matters most isn’t just price, but whether shoppers feel the experience they’re having in a store is worth the price they’re paying for it,” he said.
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That further explains Longo’s leading position in grocery. “Longo’s has really focused on that perception of value element by delivering an efficient, welcoming, customer-first experience,” Dumont told Canadian Grocer. “When those things happen, their customers—who are probably not as price-driven as in other retailers—recognize them in a big way.”
As for new entrant Chalo! FreshCo landing in second place, Dumont said the researchers weren’t surprised. “They’re known for a deep selection of regional staples and fresh produce aligned with the way people cook. The way their customers talk about them is different. They feel it’s a store that’s built for them, as opposed to walking through an ethnic aisle.”
Rounding out the top 10 in customer experience in Ontario are Adonis Market (73.2), Whole Foods Market (73.2), Farm Boy (70.5), No Frills (70.3), No Name (70.1), Food Basics (67.2) and Sobeys (66.4).
While no conventional grocery retailers cracked the top 10 in the overall ranking of 176 retailers in Ontario, specialty shop M&M Food Market landed at number four (95.6). On the webinar, Dumont said M&M Food Market was one of the biggest movers this year, with an 11-point gain. “Their key strengths are their promotions, their efficient store layout and their very strong in-store service,” he said.
Who wins in Western Canada and Quebec?
In Western Canada, CO-OP Food came out on top (78.5), moving up from its number-two spot in last year’s index. That’s followed by Safeway (71.3), Whole Foods Market (70.6), Calgary Co-op (70.2), Save-On-Foods (70), Costco (69.4), Thrifty Foods (67.2), Buy-Low Foods (67.2), Fresh St. Market (65.7) and Choices Market (65.6).
In Quebec, Avril landed in first place in customer experience with a score of 85.3—up from 79.5 last year, when it also held first place.
Dumont said Avril, a healthy, natural and organic supermarket, “is a very special kind of experience”—one that customers feel rationalizes the price. “Because it is visited not just as a place for food as fuel but food as experience and food for wellness, their staff becomes very key. Their staff are generally known as being quite knowledgeable and there’s a feeling that you can ask questions… and you’ll trust them. That level of trust and reassurance plays a pretty big role.”
Also on the top 10 list in Quebec are Costco (74.8), Metro/Metro Plus (72.5), IGA/IGA Extra (72.3), Supermarché PA (72.2), Rachelle-Béry (66.1), Marché Ami (66), Marché Bonichoix (65.5), Maxi/Maxi & cie (64.8) and Adonis (64.5).
Top digital customer experiences
Leger also ranks the best online customer experiences in Canada. For the WOW Digital Index, 346 online retailers from 27 sectors were evaluated by recent visitors. The ranking is based on 14 non-transactional dimensions of the online experience, considering the importance of each dimension in the store’s line of business. They include visual, offer, experience, assistance and post-purchase.
At No. 1 in the grocery category is Montreal-based Lufa Farms, which sells its own greenhouse-grown produce and other local foods through its online marketplace. The company is sixth overall, with a score of 93.8—moving up from 14th place last year.
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“They perform extremely well across multiple dimensions, especially personalization, providing a feeling of autonomy for consumers who are interacting with their app or website, the customer ratings that they provide, and their product discovery,” said Dumont. “This is a brand that makes online grocery feel empowering as opposed to overwhelming.”
Rounding out the top 10 in digital customer experience in the grocery category is M&M Food Market (83.3), Voila by IGA/Sobey/Longo’s (80.3), My Online Grocery by Metro (79.1), PC Express by Provigo Loblaws (78.5), Costco (78), Walmart Food (75.5), Amazon Canada/Grocery & Whole Foods Market (73.8), Avril (72.6) and DoorDash (70.5).
Overall, retailers’ performance in the WOW Digital Index is stable, with 30% of retailers seeing improvements in scores, 32% seeing decreases and 38% holding steady. However, Dumont noted an important behaviour shift: consumers are visiting retail sites less often. That means retailers can’t just focus on optimizing the experience. “You have to be in a position to give a compelling reason for people to visit your website and/or app.”
