Customer loyalty is virtually nonexistent in food retail

Belgian shoppers deliberately spread their purchases across different supermarket chains, according to figures from YouGov. Supermarkets typically account for barely one-fifth of their customers’ total shopping budget.

A remarkable statistic

This insight isn’t new, but the figure remains striking: nearly 70% of Belgian shoppers visit more than four different supermarket chains each year. This statistic once again illustrates the very limited customer loyalty in food retail: on average, supermarkets capture only 18.2% of their shoppers’ total budget, while the remaining 81.8% is spent elsewhere. This is evident from data from the YouGov shopper panel.

In the second quarter of 2026 alone, 58% of Belgian households visited more than three supermarket chains. This indicates that shoppers consciously spread their spending across different retailers, even in the short term, the market research firm reports on LinkedIn.