Online Food Sales Climb 15.5% as Store Sales Slip

Grocers are selling more food online and less in their stores. The gap shows up in grocers' results and in new Circana data for the four weeks that ended Oct. 4.

Digital grows while stores stall

Kroger logged flat comparable-store sales growth in its latest quarter, while its digital operations grew 20%. Comparable-store sales track stores that have been open for a while, so they show the pull of the shops themselves.

Ahold Delhaize's US operations saw comparable sales rise by less than 1%, against e-commerce growth of more than 14%. Albertsons posted negative same-store sales but a digital increase of 11%.

Several food retailers have seen total sales growth fade in recent quarters even as online sales rose. Conventional grocers hope their stores can set them apart from e-commerce powerhouses such as Amazon and Walmart.

A record share online

The consultancy Brick Meets Click sees the same pattern. Online grocery sales rose more than 20% in the third quarter of 2026 and took a record share of total grocery spending. Delivery sales jumped more than 30% and drove about three-quarters of the increase. Pickup grew in the mid-single digits.

What Circana measured

Online food and beverage sales rose 15.5% against the same four weeks of 2025, according to data Circana shared on Wednesday. Brick-and-mortar sales fell 2.8% year over year. Overall sales for the sector declined by under 1%.

Perishables were down year over year. That covers dairy, produce, meat, baked goods, seafood and deli items. Circana pointed to produce, hurt by the cyclospora crisis earlier this year, as a main driver of the softness. Sales of baking supplies, beverages, shelf-stable meals and snacks rose.

Circana says customers are careful with food budgets. They waste less, drop extras but hold on to quality, and move among price levels, pack sizes and store brands. Store brands gained a little in the period, but national brands lost about 1%.

Source: Food Dive