Fry’s Food Store, owned by national grocer Kroger Co., ranked first in market share among grocery stores in the Greater Phoenix area.

The chain, operating 94 stores in the Valley, increased its market share by more than four percentage points to 23.60 percent, according to a story in the Phoenix Business Journal.

The company holds the top spot this year as it did in 2018. Fry’s did not open any new stores in the region in 2018, but its sales within the Phoenix area increased by more than $878 million from 2018.

The source for the article was Chain Store Guide, an annual market share breakdown of 18 grocery store chains in the Phoenix area.

Chain Store Guide determined the market share a company has by reviewing the average store sales and the current number of company stores in the area.

Second was Walmart Supercenter with 48 stores taking 16.80 percent market share. Third place was Safeway and its 59 stores for a 13.30 percent market share.

The grocery store industry is one of the most competitive existing industries.

The Phoenix Business Journal reported Target Corp.’s Super Target rose from 10th place to sixth. The company’s Phoenix area sales for 2019 were about $621 million, an increase for more than 74 percent compared to last year without increasing the number of stores.