Skip to main content
Skip to main content

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Charts of Note logo

Supermarket margins back up in 2011

  • by Economic Research Service
  • 12/8/2011
  • Food Markets & Prices
  • Food Prices, Expenditures, and Establishments
A chart showing supermaket margins in years 2001 and 2011.

Download chart image

Supermarket margins-revenues minus wholesale costs-fell 2.4 percent in 2010 from 2009 levels as supermarkets dealt with slow economic growth coupled with rising costs in the 2nd half of the year. Margins continued to fall in the early months of 2011 but then turned around by mid-2011. Margins are now up 5.1 percent from 2010 levels as supermarkets attempt to return margin trends to pre-recession levels. The extent to which input costs such as commodities and fuel are passed along to consumers will have a significant impact on retail price inflation for 2012. This chart is an updated version of a chart that appeared in the December 2011 issue of Amber Waves magazine. More information on ERS's food price forecasts can be found in the Food CPI and Expenditures on the ERS website.

Get Charts of Note delivered!

Subscribe

See our Privacy Policy.