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What grocery stores in the United States sell the largest amount of dried pasta made in and imported from Italy?
Hello! Thanks for your inquiry on the grocery stores in the United States that sell the largest amount of dried pasta made in and imported from Italy.
The short version is that pasta imported from Italy represents around 9.1% of all pasta consumed in the US. Over 62% of pasta in the US is distributed through large grocery stores. The largest grocery stores by revenue in North America, which probably are the largest retailers of Italian pasta, include Wal-Mart, Kroger, Costco Wholesale, Target, and Safeway.
Below you will find a deep dive of my research / findings along with all the details for how I came to this answer.
METHODOLOGY
After an extensive search, it was not possible to find a direct answer to your inquiry. We looked into different market research reports and articles on the pasta market in the US. The market research reports, which could include the breakdown of pasta sales per grocery store, are behind paywalls and it is only possible to read the available excerpts. However, other sources provide valuable information that allows us to provide a list of the leading grocery stores in the US. It is reasonable to assume that these stores also are the leading retailers of pasta, including pasta imported from Italy.
CONSUMPTION OF PASTA VARIETIES IN THE US
In 2016, the main varieties of pasta consumed in the US, either imported or locally produced, were the following:
AMOUNT OF PASTA IMPORTED FROM ITALY
According to a reliable source, in 2014 Italy exported pasta to the US valued at $284 million. In the same year, consumption of dried pasta in the US had reached $3.12 billion. This means that pasta imported from Italy represents around 9.1% of all pasta consumed in the US.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ITALIAN PASTA IN THE US
A 2007 report from the US Government, part of an anti-dumping process against foreign producers of pasta, includes a comprehensive analysis on the pasta market in the US. Although slightly outdated, the report provides interesting facts about pasta imports from Italy. The report presents the geographical distribution of the import points of Italian pasta. This distribution is related to the importance of the local markets. According to the report, most pasta imports from Italy arrive through New York (over 50%), followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco (see page IV-6).
DISTRIBUTION OF PASTA IN THE US
It was not possible to find information on how the pasta imported from Italy is being distributed in the US. However, we do get data on the distribution channels for all pasta consumed in the US, imported or not. According to data provided by the statistics portal Statista, the channels of distribution of pasta products in the US are as follows:
Discounters: 5.62%
Small Grocery Retailers: 14.04%
Other Grocery Retailers: 0.74%
Non-Grocery Retailers: 16.44%
The figures are from 2011, and thus some changes could be expected, particularly because of the growth of online sales (Amazon is also selling pasta). Nevertheless, it is clear that supermarkets are the main channel of sales of pasta in the US, and this includes pasta imported from Italy. Based on the importance of the Italian pasta in the US, $284 million in 2014, we can reasonably assume that the pasta imported from Italy follows a similar distribution structure to the whole pasta market.
PASTA DISTRIBUTED BY SUPERMARKETS
As we saw above, over 60% of pasta is distributed by supermarkets. A source states that in 2015, the total sales of pasta in US supermarkets reached $1.58 billion. This figure is in relatively good agreement with the share of supermarket pasta sales over the total consumption of dried pasta in the US. Furthermore, regarding quantity, Statista reports that in 2015 the US supermarkets sold 1.17 million units of pasta, although no details regarding average weight per unit are provided.
MAIN RETAILERS OF PASTA IN THE US
A 2014 report on the US pasta and noodles market is not freely available. However, the available excerpt lists the main retailers of pasta in the US: Costco, Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Supervalu, and Wal-Mart.
As aforementioned, it was not possible to find detailed statistics on the amount of Italian pasta sold by grocery stores in the US. However, we can reasonably infer that the amount of Italian pasta sold by those stores is proportional to their importance regarding revenue from food sales in general. That is, we assume that the amount of pasta sold in grocery stores, including imported pasta from Italy, is directly related to the entire amount of food that they sell.
A ranking updated in September 2016 lists the largest grocery retailers in the US and Canada. It is reasonable to assume that these are also the largest retailers of pasta in the US, including pasta imported from Italy. The top ten retailers in North America by revenue are:
Wal-Mart
Kroger
Costco Wholesale
Target
Safeway
Supervalu
Loblaw
Publix Super Markets
Ahold USA
7 Eleven
Thus, these stores, in that order, distribute the largest part of the over $284 million pasta imported from Italy. There are other rankings available, which show some differences with the above list, in some cases explained by the inclusion or not of hypermarkets in the list of grocery stores.
OTHER CRITERIA FOR RANKING GROCERY STORES
Under a different perspective, a reliable source provides a subjective ranking of the best grocery stores in the US, based on factors such as convenience, technology, shopping experience, and quality produce. Another source lists the top 50 gourmet retailers in the US. The gourmet food channel of distribution could be of interest for pasta imported from Italy.
CONCLUSION
Pasta imported from Italy represents around 9.1% of all pasta consumed in the US. Over 62% of pasta in the US is distributed through large grocery stores. The largest grocery stores by revenue in North America, which probably are the largest retailers of Italian pasta, include Wal-Mart, Kroger, Costco Wholesale, Target, and Safeway.
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