When Kroger opened its location on West Parrish Avenue in Owensboro, many customers had the same reaction…”It’s enormous.” They were right. And they’re still right. It’s just that when the Wesleyan Park Plaza store upgraded and expanded, it was and is even bigger. And now, it won’t be long before Owensboroans are cruising through the aisles of Kroger Marketplace, which is expected to open in the fall or winter of 2026 next to Gateway Commons on Hayden Road.
Kentucky’s Top Ten Grocery Chains
So what are the grocery store/supermarket chains with the largest presence in Kentucky? The research was tricky because of Walmart. But I excluded the big box giant because it mainly operates as a general merchandise retailer and not a grocery store. Using data from ScrapeHero, I also eliminated distributors, focusing primarily on grocery and grocery-focused chains. By the way, Meijer isn’t on the ScrapeHero list, but it’s counted here because groceries are a gigantic part of its business model. One more thing…ScrapeHero’s Publix number includes stores that have been announced but are not yet open.
10. Ruler Foods — 7 locations
A discount chain in the Kroger family, I look for these every time I’m on a Kentucky or southern Indiana road trip. We don’t have one in Owensboro, and that’s because we have Kroger stores.
Google Street ViewGoogle Street View9. Food City — 10 locations
An eastern Kentucky chain, Food City stores are up and down U.S. 23 in Prestonsburg, Louisa, Paintsville, and Pikeville. They’re also located in South Williamson and Hazard.
Google Street ViewGoogle Street View8. Meijer — 11 locations
I’m fortunate that I live in one of the cities where Meijer has located. Among other things, I love the chain’s Frederick’s brand.
Scott Olson/Getty ImagesScott Olson/Getty Images6. Price Less Foods — 15 locations
Not specific to any one region, although the easternmost store is in Louisville, Price Less operates under the IGA umbrella. And while ScrapeHero is a solid resource, it sticks to national brands; that explains Price Less’s absence from its list.
Google Street ViewGoogle Street View7. ALDI — 26 locations
I’ve been a fan since it first came to town. That was also the first time I’d ever heard the name. I space out my visits so as to give those “ALDI finds” time to refresh.
Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesSean Gallup/Getty Images
5. IGA — 58 locations
Talk about an old name, and a reliable one, too. Did you know that “IGA” stands for Independent Grocers Alliance? It was founded in 1926.
Google Street ViewGoogle Street View4. Save A Lot — 89 locations
It’s not surprising there are so many discount chains on the list. It is surprising that Owensboro no longer has one.
Google Street ViewGoogle Street View3. Kroger — 116 locations
I can understand why you might have thought this would be number one. I mean, it’s Kroger. And it will be around long after you and I are not.
Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesBrandon Bell/Getty Images2. Family Dollar — 180 locations
This isn’t on ScrapeHero’s list, but it’s on mine. When has this chain not been “half-grocery store”?
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesJustin Sullivan/Getty Images1. Dollar General — more than 760 locations
This one is hard to nail down because there’s probably one opening somewhere right now. They seemingly drop out of the sky. Convenience in spades. And, one more time for the people in the back, when has this chain not been “half-grocery store”?
Mario Tama/Getty ImagesMario Tama/Getty Images
Now, here’s my thing. I gather that if the store sells groceries at all (DG, Family Dollar, Meijer), it counts. So where’s Walmart?
Then again, the retail behemoth ranks high on so many OTHER lists, it hardly needs this one.
Chains That Are Closing or Have Closed Locations in 2025
The list of chains that have closed locations or have plans to shutter stores later in 2025 continues to grow at a rapid pace.
Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
Most popular grocery stores in AmericaThe most popular grocery stores in America, from corporate chains to family-owned enterprises. Stacker ranked them using consumer ratings sourced from YouGov polls.
Gallery Credit: Stacker
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