Kantar releases annual PoweRanking report

On the retailer side, Walmart ranked No. 1, followed by Target, while stability remained with Kroger, Amazon and Costco rounding out the Top 5.

Sandra Levy

11/4/2022

Kantar has released its annual industry benchmarking report PoweRanking, which identifies retailers and suppliers that set the standard of performance, ranked by their trading partner.

Now in its 26th edition, Kantar looks at how retailers and manufacturers can best innovate and serve consumers in food, drug, mass merchandise, dollar, convenience, specialty, e-commerce and club channels, as well as for manufacturers in food, household products, general merchandise and health and beauty care categories.

Over 400 manufacturer and retailer respondents participated in this year’s study. The results of the 2022 survey were compared with the results of 2020 and 2021 to determine the causes behind shifts in the rankings.

“Pepsi, CocaCola and P&G continued an unprecedented string of partnership characteristics and Walmart, Target and Kroger set the pace on ecosystem service to their shoppers on the retailer side of the study,” said Patrick Fellin, partner, and head of Go-to-Market strategy at Kantar North America.

[Read more: How to beat Amazon at its own game]

Highlights on the retailer side:

Walmart again is No. 1 for the 26th consecutive year, a testament to the retailer’s strength, scale and focus over time, Kantar said;
Target continued its elevated performance over the past few years to remain a strong No. 2;
Target did achieve two No. 1 rankings in Innovative Marketing and Best Store Branding that support its No. 2 overall position, offset by a slight dip in Supply Chain rankings. Entering the pandemic, Target had momentum with its guests, store environment, enhancement of omnicommerce options and relationships with manufacturing partners, according to the report; and
Stability remained, with Kroger, Amazon and Costco rounding out the Top 5.

In 2022 on the manufacturer side:

PepsiCo once again stood out as leading the retailer-manufacturer relationship. PepsiCo strengthened its PoweRanking metrics in 2022 and is No. 1 for the 7th consecutive year. The company has been No. 1 in all nine metrics for the last six years. "This is a truly outstanding achievement built upon facing retail realities across their entire retail-partnership base, providing clear strategy, bringing insights that matter, thinking category-first with retail partners and continuing to learn and evolve," Kantar said;
Coca-Cola, P&G, Nestle (+3 spots), and Unilever (+3 spots) round out the Top 5; and
Special mention to Tyson and AB InBev this year as well on moving into the Top 10.

Sustainability:

On the manufacturer side, Unilever is the new No. 1, with PepsiCo, P&G, Nestlé and Coca-Cola also recognized as Top 5 performers for sustainability focus and partnership; and
On the retailer side, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kroger and Costco lead the way again.

Noting that 2022 marked the third year for tracking sustainability as part of PoweRanking, Kantar said, "Both retailers and manufacturers are eager to move past slogans and buzzwords and get to ESG that is pragmatic and makes a difference in shoppers' lives."

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