Wisconsin's grocery market is a bit...unique.
Some names can be found throughout the state (Copps, Pick 'n Save, Piggly Wiggly); others are hyper-subregional. Out-of-state operators can be hyperselective: Hy-Vee is strong in Madison, but nonexistent elsewhere. Schnucks has a lone Wisconsin store in Janesville. And so it goes. Traditionally the state also had a high proportion of independent SuperValu, Red Owl, and IGA franchises: Some still remain; others have vanished into the ether.
There's also been a lot of change and turnover. 15 years ago, three of the biggest grocery chains in Madison were Kohl's Foods (owned by A&P), Cub Foods (owned by SuperValu), and Sentry (owned by Fleming). All are now gone, and others have leaped to fill their place (and sometimes, fill their buildings).
Here's my rundown for Madison as it exists today. First, the "major" stores:
Roundy's (and by consequence now,
Kroger) is the market leader, with no fewer than 11 Copps stores in the area, plus 3 Pick 'n Saves scattered in the periphery and 1 Metro Market. It's fun to riff on Roundy's, but for the most part these stores are average with nothing either exceptional
or really bad about them. They're everyone's "default" supermarket when they don't feel like seeking out anything better.
Woodman's is the established local competition, with 3 warehouse-style stores. Woodman's is unique enough to almost be a destination. Their stores have incredibly broad and deep selections (with entire aisles devoted to "natural" and ethnic foods) and rock-bottom prices. They also have simplistic decor, terrible produce, and don't accept credit cards, so they're not for everyone.
Hy-Vee is the aggressive new player, with 3 stores that opened starting in 2009. Their prepared foods and perimeter departments have made quite a splash; center-of-store merchandising is a bit different from other chains, which can be either good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Hy-Vee isn't perfect, but it's the place I find myself shopping at most often.
Metcalfe's is a local Sentry offshoot with 2 stores. Both stores have the most attractive interiors of any local supermarket in the area, with colorful splashes of floor tile and well-placed accent lighting. They play classical music, and strive for a "higher-end" vibe. Unfortunately, good looks only go so far: Every time I've bought milk there, it tasted sour.
Festival Foods, a northeast Wisconsin chain, recently entered Madison with a lofty new store. I haven't been there yet, so I'm not the best judge to predict whether it will sink or swim.
Now, the specialty and one-off players:
Aldi has 4 stores. They offer what you'd expect.
The
Willy Street Co-Op is a Madison institution that's come to encompass 3 stores. The co-op's stores are large enough now to count as supermarkets, and feature a hot bar and a loyal clientele.
Wal-Mart isn't the grocery juggernaut here that they are in other places. They have 2 supercenters (both of them relative latecomers) and 2 straggling non-supercenter locations.
Fitchburg contains one of the few
Super Target locations that exist. It opened in 2007.
Fresh Madison Market (no relation to the Fresh Market) is a small store with a captive downtown audience. Its selection and pricing are one step from a convenience store.
The
Whole Foods Market has a token presence with one store. (You'd honestly be better off going to Willy Street Co-Op instead.)
Trader Joe's has one store.
There are a few one-off independents like
Miller's in Verona, the
Regent Market Co-Op in a decades-old neighborhood storefront, and some international food stores.
Piggly Wiggly does not operate in Madison, but their franchises
do operate in some of the smaller villages like Cottage Grove that surround it.
Save-a-Lot also does not operate in Madison, even though they have a distribution facility in the county.