July 27, 2026 — As economic pressures have mounted, sales at U.S. grocery chains have slowed into stagnation, resulting in some retailers lowering prices to attract value-focused consumers.
The number of grocery units, or individual items, sold declined 1.8 percent in June compared to the same month a year prior, according to a new Bain & Company analysis conducted in conjunction with NielsenIQ. Bain & Co. partly attributed the sluggishness in units sold to overall grocery prices rising 2 percent to 3 percent over the last year and a hefty 33 percent since 2019.